JAPANESE POP CULTURE & LANGUAGE LEARNING
'EI ,,,,, l:s& f
$4.50
M A N G A J I N
0
I
744 70 78600
No.
19
The life of a
translator
I ntervi ews with the pro s 9
19
L ette r s
Letters to the Editor MANGAJIN welcomes readers ' comments by letter or fax, although we reserve the right to edit for clarity or length. Please address correspondence to: Editor, P. 0. Box 49543, Atlanta, GA 30359. Fax: 404-634-1799
Contact Your Society I live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area in Minnesota-do you know of any Japanese language/interest groups in this area? I want to continue my Japanese studies but would like to meet others with similar interests.
rate" of ¥237/$. Here are some other examples: Esquire, $2.50-+ ¥1,000 (¥400/$) New Yorker, $1.95-+ ¥1,200 (¥6 151$) MANGAJIN, $4.50-+ ¥1,000 (¥222/$).
Magazine subscriptions are not popular in Japan, and discounts are usually small. For example, Nihongo Journal, which is printed in Japan and sells for ¥600 on the newsstand, is available by subscription at ¥7,200for 12 issues-the only discount is the postage and handling. H IROMICHI MOTEKI
Sekai Shuppan Kenkyu Centre Tokyo, Japan
STEPHANIE I SAACSON
Rochester, MN
Archaic Japanese
Just offhand, we don't know ofany such groups in your area. You might start by checking with your local JapanAmerica Society. The National Association ofJapan-America Societies lists 45 such groups in the U.S. and Canada, in cities from Toronto to Tulsa. Contact NAJAS at 333 East 47th St, New York 10017 (212-715-1255).
T hank you so much for "The Phoenix." I love the historical, mythological flavor. 1 hope MANGAJJ N will continue to present manga written with a wide variety of styles and time frames. But the explanatory notes to "The Phoenix" were slightly puzzling. Why was the - zu verb form described as an archaic equivalent of -naide? Words like "omawazu" and "dekizu" are scattered all over modern Japanese, and not always are they used in ways that are compatible with the - naide form. For example, using "omowanaide" instead of "omowazu" for "unthinkingly" seems awkward to me. Would you please explain this?
Quite reasonable, really in MANGAJIN #17 a reader in Japan wrote: " ... living on a student budget while learning Japanese makes it difficult for me to afford the hefty ¥9,000 yearly rate. This is well over two times the price in the U.S., and only a ¥1,000 savings off the 'newsstand' price..." Our distributor in Japan responds: Before 1 got involved in magazine distribution, 1 used to feel that the prices of imported books and magazines were unreasonably high in Japan, and I had even questioned bookstores about their prices for imported publications. I was judging from the cover price and the current exchange rate, but now that 1 have seen the business side, I realize there is much more to it than that- air freight, various importing costs, and the fact that we buy on a non-returnable basis, but sell on a returnable basis. By way of comparison, Time and Newsweek are $2.95 in the U.S. but ¥700 in Japan, an effective "exchange
4
MANGAJIN
H EIDI HoEMAN
Olympia, WA
The simplest answer to your "Why?" is that we don't have space in MANGAJIN to cover all possible uses ofa word, and we also try to avoid explanations that get into a lot of technical details. But since you ask. .. Most basically, - zu can be thought ofas the classical/archaic equivalent of modern -nai - i.e., as the ."·dictionary form" of the negative verb ending. In the context where it appeared in "The Phoenix," (shinazu), the - zu was being used as a continuing form, essentially similar to the - teform, so it was equivalent to - naide, instead of just - nai. Negation has always been among the most complex aspects of Japanese, with different forms available/required de-
pending on the context. In modern Japa nese, one of the complexities is that some ofthe classical forms have refused to die out completely and remain in use. As is often the case with classical forms that remain in modern, manyofthe uses of -zu today are idiomatic- i.e., they are restricted to specific expressions, and cannot be replaced with a form of - nai. The idiomatic use of omowazu to mean "unintentionally/involuntarily/ instinctively/unthinkingly" is a case where replacement with -naide is not possible. But it is possible to have a phrase like . .. to wa omowazu ... (or . .. to wa omawazu ni .. . ) meaning "without thinking . .. , "and this use can indeed be replaced with ... to wa omowanaide ... At the same time, -zu also remains on modern conjugation charts as a regularly occurring form of the alternative negative -nu. (It's interesting to note that in classical Japanese, - nu was a form of-zu rather than the other way around.) All the examples of dekizu we've been able to think of at the moment fall into th(s category, and they can be replaced with dekinai. This use of - zu as a regular conjugation of -nu occurs more in written Japanese than in speech, but you're still likely to hear it spoken. In acknowledgement that -nu is not quite "standard," some modern conjugation charts place it in a separate, "special" category-but, of course, the fact that they include it at all means that it has to be considered a genuine part of modern Japanese. In that sense, to say -zu is an archaic form of- nai or -naide does not tell the whole story.
BLOOPERS We'll send you a MANGAJIN T- shirt if we publish your language (Japanese or English) blooper. During my homestay in Japan, the host brother had just started attending a juku, and my host mother asked what the English word for it was. I answered "cram school," and asked if she understood "cram." She answered, "Yes, cram chowder!" AMELIA CHAPMAN Los Angeles, CA
This page is usually devoted to clever brand or product names, but in this issue we are featuring a slick slogan that came to our attention recently.
Don't Wally? ®NTT
NTT does it again! In our issue No. 17 we reponed that the punsters at NTT (Nippon Telephone and Telegraph) had designated the 19th of every month as r - 7 0) l=l (Toku no Hi, " T alk Day," c.f. to= I 0, and ku 9). Not content to rest on their laurels, they have now come up with a punning slogan for their campaign soliciting advertisers for the yellow pages, known in Japan as taun peji, or " town pages." The character in the striped sweater and stocking cap is Wally, from a children's book cal led " Where's Wally?," originally from England, but now being marketed all over the world. (I n the US, his name was changed to Waldo, but in most other countries, he's Wally.) It's currently being promoted in Japan as '7 :t - 1) - ~ ~ iJ~-tt (Uorii o Sagase, "Search for Wally"). In the book, Wally is hidden in vast town, country, and crowd scenes, and the object is to locate him. In this ad for the taun peji, at the bottom left, i s the slogan:
=
l!'r 0) ::. t
7J:
machi no koto
nara
Don't '7 :t - ') donro uorii
about/concerning the town
if it is
don"t Wally/don"t worry
G
Don' t worryLWallrrbout the town. With the relatively limited number of sounds available in Japanese, it"s not possible to make a distinction between " Wally" and "worry" - a convenient situation for the ever-alert copy writers at NTT. The idea seems .to be "don't be like Wally," i.e., hard to find; and. as an extension, "don't worry." This is clarified by the main headline:
Taun peji
de medateha
machi no naka de medatsu
yo
yellow pages
in
inside the town
(e mph)
if (you) stand out
in (you) will stand out
If you stand out in the Yellow Pages, you'll stand out in the town. Thanx to: Dr. Nicolas Tranter Send us your examples of creative product names or slogans (with some kind of documentation). If we publish your example, we'll send you a MANGAJIN T-shirt to wear on your next shopping trip. In case of duplicate entries, earliest postmark gets the shirt. BRAND NEWS, P.O. Box 49543, Atlanta, GA 30359
MANGA JIN
5
MAD*AD
6
MANGAJIN
Mad Amano is well known in Japan for his atire and political parodies. A former planning manager w ith Hitachi. he left the corporate l ife in 1974 when he won the cartoon prize of Bungei Slumju. a leading Japanese journal of political and social commentary. Although he works almost exclusivel y for the Japanese press, he now lives in the U.S., and he targets the politics and happenings of other countries as much as he does those of Japan. M ad Amano makes full usc o f the punning potential inherent in the many homonyms found in Japanese.
Namera mane lic ked
o
Pero, the "sound" effect
silimasu do/doe~
action/behavior (obj.)
UNTRANSLATABLE PUN: It really means "(He) treats (them) contemptuously/insults (them)," but since it's an idiomatic use of the verb nameru (literally ''lick''), it has great punning potential for use in describing someone named Perot (see below & right). • namela is the plain/abrupt past form of nameru. which literally means " lick/taste," but is also used to mean "insult/make light of." • mane can mean "imitation/mimicry." but in the expression nameta mane it means "action/behavior... • name1a mane o suru/shimasu is an idiomatic expression meaning "behave in a way that insults/make light of/make a fool of." ~0-
.:f-v-/7"1
Perii
Kyandii
licking!Pcrot candy
Perot Cand_y • pero is a standard FX word for a licking action. while Pero. with a long o, is the Japanese pronunciation of Perot. The long-short vowel distinction can usually be ignored for the sake of a pun. • kyandii is a katakana rendering of English "candy." ) ~( uinki
To1su:en 1ojo
j~Jshii
suddenly appear o n scene popularity ns tn g A~ring suddenly, popularity rising:
Perot candy
I
Perot Candy.
-z: e.
r.n
Busshu
.A:~ 1: ,;l:, !J!r: :t:Jt. Jj: ", ,·tr ", ~~ 0 dailor.wl ni u·a mushi dekinai nigai aji
Bus h
president
7' ·; :,;- ;1.
Michael the cat, from the series What's Michael (© Kobayashi Makoto/Kodansha), illustrates the "sound" effect pero. He's licking the cream out of a coffee creamer, but pero is more the effect of licking than the actual sound. ---- j
Peri) Kyandii
for
cannot ignore
bitter
13\tc
For President Bush a bitter taste that can' t be ignored . • mushi suru means "ignore:· and muslri dekiuai is its negative potential form. "cannot ignore." Mushi dekinai ("cannot ignore") modifies nigai aji ("bitter taste").
Kurinlon
koho
Clinton
candidate for
ni u·a
kekkcl
oishii
mi1su
quite/pretty
dclicious/t:"tY
honey/nectar of
nn aji taste
For candidate Clint_!!!h a taste of honey that's really ty") modi fie~ mi1su no aji ("taste of honey/nectar").
Perij
kyandii
Pe rot
candy
11·a IUII/Iertt
us-for lick
hilo
110
taclliba ni youe
pcr,on ('s) position
llji
ga
kawaru
depe nding on ta,tc (subj.) change>
fushigi-na
kyandii
desu
marvelous
candy
b
Perot Cand_y is a marvelous candy that changes llavor depending on the standpoint of the person eating it. • ... ni youe is an expression meaning "depending on/according to/in direct relation to:· and kllll'lrru mean~ "changc~/varic,:· so nameru lrilo no taclriba ni yolle kaworu meam "change~ according to/depending on the standpoint of the person who lich I it]." This complete thought/sentence modifiesfushigi-na kyc111dii ("mysterious/marvelous candy").
4- (J) t .::: ~ lma no 1okoro now
of
A~\ ninki
tU L1' ba1.wgun
place/situation popularity abo' call others
For now, outstanding po~ula rity ~ 0-
Perij
.:f-v /7" 1 Krandii
Perot Candy
fiti ') iJ
};~
Amerika
·I'll
The AmeriCa.ndy Store
• Mi ame means "candy'' and -ya is a ~uffix meaning "shop/store." Writing the first two syllables of "America·· with the kanji for "candy" makes a word play with ame-ya. "candy store." and Amerika-ya. which sounds like a trade name. "The America Shop." We can approximate this effect wi th "The AmeriCandy Store."
MAN GAJlN
7
Mini•F eature
The
Racial Stereotypes in Manga: freedom of expression or blatant racism ?
TEZUKA CONTROVERSY The legacy of the late Tezuka Osamu ( 1928-89). Japan's Mangano Kamisama, or "God of Comics," shows no signs of fadi ng away. Nowhere is that more evident than in an ongoing series of protests in both Japan and the United States against several of Tezuka' s most acclaimed works. Critics denounce what they consider disparaging images of Blacks in Tezuka's manga, and in doing so, they question the artist's reputation as a humanist untainted by ignorance and prejudice. Through a binationally linked letter-writing campaign, protesters are demanding that Tokyo-based Tezuka Production Co. Ltd. (which oversees the business side of Tezuka 's legacy) and other major Japanese publishers discontinue sales in Japan of comics containing the images they find offensive. So far, the publishers have held their ground and refused. Thus the stage is set for future battles not only over Tezuka's illustrations, but also concerning the sensitive issue of artistic freedom vs. socia l responsibility among all manga artists. " In a word, I'm really upset,'' says Arita Kimiko, who in 1988, along with her husband Tos hiji and son Haj ime.
Happy-go-lucky, Disney-type images of Blacks are found in Jungle Tairei ("K i mba the White Lion"), the famous 1950 story of an animal ki ngdom in Africa. The Tarzan images of the day can be detected in such manga by Tezuka and other cartoonists. Here. the African characters accompany European hunters on a safari expedition.
8
MAN GAJ I N
by Brian Covert
founded the Osaka-based Association to Stop Racism Against Blacks, the organization that started the protests. " I want Japanese people to realize prejudice against Blacks does exist in Japan and I want them to know the pain it causes Black people," A rita said. "As a teacher, I just can't ignore this problem." The group and its g rowing list of U.S. allies are targeting several images of Blacks portrayed by Tezuka and other wellknown manga cartoonists as savage cannibals, mindless servants to White people or sexual beasts. Protesters charge that the images of Blacks with huge lips, unfocused eyes and animal-like physical characteristics present Blacks as subhuman when compared to fi gures of other racial or ethnic·groups- including Japanese characters, who are commonl y drawn with distinctly European features. ASRAB's efforts at home and during its two Stateside tours have attracted publicity and widespread support from many institutions and individuals throughout the U.S. Black community, spanning the fields of politics, business, religion, entertai nment and education.
Mini•F eatu re
"My greatest concern is that seeing these images will somehow make (Japanese) people believe they are true on a subconscious level ... and that they will act based on this warped view," says Dr. Harriette W. Richard, a professor of psychology at Northern Kentucky University and board member of the Association of Black Psychologists.
The Tezuka comic protest has its roots in ASRAB's founding four years ago. Following the lead of a controversial Washington Post article, ASRAB began focusing unprecedented attention on Japanese toys and corporate logos of Blacks that were considered racist. ASRAB eventually succeeded in pressuring major Japanese corporations to drop such logos. Publishers in Japan even ceased printing for a time the controversial chi ldren's book Chibikuro Sambo ("Little Black Sambo") due to the pressure. In the course of its anti-racism crusade, ASRAB also came across those same stereotypes of Blacks in manga, a ¥440 billion industry that seems to permeate every aspect of Japanese life. Much to their own surprise, ASRAB members said, they found that some of the most offensive images were drawn by the "God of Manga" himself. The targets of protest include manga from the very pinnacle of Tezuka's distinguished career: masterpieces like Jungle Taitei ( 1950) and Tetsuwan Aromu ( 1952)-better known to Western audie nces as the cartoons " Kimba the White Lion" and "Astro Boy," respectively-as well as Shin-Takarajima ("New Treasure Island," 1947) and Hi no Tori ("The Phoenix," 1954). Other Tezuka manga hard-hit by the protests include African Americans try ing to pass as Caucasians by purchasing artificial White skins in Chikyii o Nomu ("Swallowing the Earth," 1968); an obese Black woman with four breasts and six clinging babies in Yakkepachi no Maria ("Yakk.epachi's Maria," 1970); and the rape of a White female by a Black male in southern Africa in Chojin Taikei ("History of the Birdmen," 197 1). Such stereotypes are found in more than a few of the artist's comics, according to ASRAB, which estimates that at least 20 Tezuka manga contain elements of racial discrimination. These kinds of images are nothing new, having been borrowed from Western stereotypes of Blacks ever since Japan's first historical ties with Europe and America, explains Dr. John G. Russell, a Tokyo-based African-American anthropologist and author on the subject. In both his 199 1 book Nihonjin no Kokujin-Kan ("Japanese Perceptions of Blacks") and a recent article in the "Japan Quarterly" journal, Russell also notes that Tezuka was aware o f the d iscontent over his Black images as far back as 1965 during the U.S. c ivil rights era. At the time, the famed cartoonist reportedly met with White executi ves of the NBC television network, who subsequently persuaded Tezuka to alter his cartoons containing Black characters for the touchy American market. Russell points to Tezuka's own 1977 comic Kami no Toride ("Paper Fortress") as revealingly satirizing not only the meeting but Tezuka's own discomfort about revising his Black figures as well. The Black stereotypes, however, were never changed for the Japanese market. "Tezuka knew they were considered degrading, yet he continued," said Russell. " He could not plead ignorance." The growing number of protesters remain unsatisfied with what they view as apathy by the Japanese media and insensitivity by publishers in confronting the issue of racism in Japan.
Caricatures of Blacks as killers or rapists appear in Chojin Taikei ("History of the Birdmen," 1971), the tale of a flock of morally righteous "superbirds'' out to rid the world of evil. In one chapter, The Birds focus on southern Africa, where an all-out race war between Blacks and Whites is underway in former British-governed Rhodesia (now independent Zimbabwe). At the chapter's end. a White female and the Black male who rapes her are put to death by The Birds. Below: Violent images are also depicted in Jungle Taitei, where an African tribe prepares to put to death a captured White woman. She eventually escapes by tricking the tribesmen into believing she has magical powers.
a
1 -:> 11 ~ • x. • o L. ">?: 1 i' A fJ• L "C "C L. 1:. (J)
t'
t~
(,
MAN GAJIN
9
Min
•Feature
Tezuka as himself: In Kami no Toride ("Paper Fortress," 1977), an autobiograpllical sketch of his rise to fame. Tezuka portrays himself in the plush New York offices of American TV network executives, a scene said to be based on an actual event. Critics point to this manga as an indication ofTezuka's personal bias in drawing Blacks.
Tezuka:
1':1:l
i -9 J:, IJ¥. ft.R"h{o
Demasu yo, genjt7min ga.
"Y_§, there are some tribesmen." Executive:
Jd:l: L-? , lt'i 7 ;;{ 1) :7JOOI*lli.~Ar"~~1J{.? J.:, ~ < ? "(tlX. o Nani shiro. ima Amerika knkunai wa kokujin mondai ga urusakrme ne. " At an rate the 'Black problem' is ver y troublesome in America now."
Executive: .'~,Att .A 7-
r
~dliii~+l:
BAli h-I:<
"'~AI: i.Pv'-c
< t!.. ~ "'o
Kokujin wa swnlito-na bidanshi ni hakujin wa minikui akrminni kaite kudasai.
"Please draw the Blacks as handsome men, and the whites as ugly villains."
i 1: 1d: £? tl i.. 1d: 7? Sama ni narane na. " It just won't look r!ght."
I~zuka: ~
10
MANGAJIN
"We have a long way to go," said Arita Kimiko of ASRAB, which now cites a multiracial membership of more than a hundred. " In our limited contacts with publishers, we have gotten no satisfactory responses. I want to ask them directly: Why haven't you recognized those racist illustrations?" "We are taking the protests very seriously," responds Matsutani Takayuki, president of Tezuka Productions, in a rare interview with a foreign journalist. Since September 1990 when ASRAB first raised the issue, it has been discussed between Tezuka Productions and other J apanese publishers. They have since labeled the protests "deplorable," stating that Tezuka would not and did not deliberately discriminate against Black people in his manga. These sentiments are echoed by the major publishing houses still printing those manga, as well as by the Japan Cartoonists Association. whose members include some of Tezuka's peers and proteges. Such supporters say that the Black characters are basically taken out of context from Tezuka's overall positive themes, an action further complicated by the Japanese-English language barrier. But most importantly, Tezuka's images of Black people are defended as the natural an of exaggeration in comics. "Deformation and exaggeration is the basis of his work," said Matsutani. " He portrayed his own nose in some cartoons as being several times larger than its actual size. Even his Japanese characters are drawn satirically as good guys or bad guys." Defenders of Tezuka's manga as a kind of "Japanese cultural heritage" believe that such images are allowable under the freedom of arti stic expression. They feel that banning or revising a comic because of its objectionable images sets chilling precedents against the whole industry, not the least being excessive self-restraint among all manga cartoonists.
M
ni•Feature
ishio Hidekazu, a manager at Kodansha, stands by Tczuka's works on the whole as "representing love and humanitarianism;· not bigotry and intolerance. Officials at Kodansha, Tczuka Productions and the Japan Cartoonists Association all agree that the creativity and high moral standard~ seen in Tezuka's lifetime of manga far outweigh any imperfections involving Blacks in his drawings. At the same time. it does appear that the protc:-ts have been heeded at the corporate level. Manga fans will notice that the offending Black characters prevalent throughout the c l a~'>ic comic book edition of Jungle Tailei have been completely edited out of the brand-new video version. The White characters remain intact. In addition, city oflicials in Tewka's former hometown of Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture. are planning to build by early 1994 a ¥1 billion museum devoted to Tezuka's cartoons. The massive, multi-media ''Tezuka Osamu Memorial Hall" was originally intended to feature without exception the estimated 150.000+ pages of manga from Tezuka'!-. career. But in view of the continuing proteMs, museum organ i7cr~ recently decided to exclude from exhibition the cartoons now under fire for racism. accordi ng to a Takarazuka city planning director. Matsutani and other publi ~hcrs have decided to deal with the protests with a Japanese-language disclaimer. printed on a ~lip of paper and inserted into Tc.wka's comics. It begins: To I he Readers: Some of Te-;.uka 's works coli/ain many illus/ralions offoreigners. including Black Africans and Asians. Some of 1l1ese illlwr01iom depic1 colmlries a/ a very undew!loped sfage. or exaggerale I he by-gone era. There is a grea/ difference he/ll'een 1hese drGII'ings and the presell/ silltation. Recemly. s uch methods of illus/rcllion ha1•e been pointed 0111 as discriminatory /OII'ard Bloch and certain foreigners. A.~ long as smne people find these dra11·ings offensive and insulling. ll'e IIIIlS/ listen 10 /heir voices seriously.
The disclaimer goes on to point out that parody, or exaggerating people's features, is one of the most important methods of humor in manga. It states that since Tezuka is deceased, it would infringe on his personal rights to have a third party alter his works, and that they felt a rcspon~ibility to protect what is considered part of Japan's cultural heritage. Finally. it asks the readers to become more aware of the existence of various types of discrimination. and to deepen their under-;tanding of this problem through their contact with Tezuka's works. Matsutani and other publishers are confident this measure is the best solution for the time being. But equally conlident are the U.S. and Japanese protesters. including newly-opened Stateside chapters of Osaka's ASRAB, who say they will continue pulling the heat on Tezuka Productions as long as those images of Blacks are marketed to consumers in Japan. So for now the debate continues: is Tezuka Osamu an artistic deity of saintly stature, or a mere mortal who never reali7ed the depths of his own prejudice-or both? The ongoing controver~y docs not lend itself to an ca~y !.olution. and no one can say what Tezuka himself might make of this problem if he were still alive. No matler which way the i!>sue is considered, one thing is clear: the "God of Manga'' is far from fading into oblivion.
Stereotypes abound in Paper Fortress, set in postwar occupied Japan. T cLuka includes caricatures o f a dim-wined African- American soldier. White American raci\t lechers. and Japanese "bimbos" who cater to the occupation forces.
For more information on Tezuka and his work. \ee M ANGAJJN No. I B.
Brian Covert is an O.wka-basedfi·eelance journalis/. MAN GAJI N
11
Calvin and Hobbes
l'~E
D'EC.\08) 1 'Nt\NT TO
't.Jt.ll. '{QIJ'LL AA\Jt. 1b ~
BE A M\ll\CJNt\IRE '1-1\iEN 1
PR8i'f \-tt>-RD 10 GET t\ tJ\ILLION OOLLAI
G~w\.JP.
\
Calvin: "I've decided I want to be ,fJ.I±iJ!:-l.· Lt..: 1.:~ llf..:~' ~
.H t
a millionaire TiJi lU'i·
c.: Jj: -=> t.::. a; ri h 14: .e;·
~
Orona
ui ucmara
adult
when become
c.:~
hyakwlltmchoja millionaire
when I grow up." :i-3 l: ~ 1.: ~ l.>IIS'
-r iR:.C.· Lt..:
IJ t.::. ",
-=> tte
ui uaritai
kesshiu shiw
want to become (that) decided
AJ!.. 11
da
(explan. )
• have decided li decide ri.R:-L·To/i.R:at:>.OJ O).fJl(Cit f"t' f-t-rt.:iJH.·LJ:J O).fJ. o • _t.:~IJf.:.'-'· li wantto+become it.:.li become ~N!1n{ , ll,lt"t'li be ~H!1Jin• ·t~:(Jg • million l.t . i'Ih-c'. l'fl±riJj ~'JH.\'?"f"'oA (milliona ire) lin·~IJO):J'31t:.J'.\'~t~?t.:.1J{ . /1'-c'l;l: billionaire (billion li 10 10: ) ~ zillionaire (zillion: ~ }j t ~'-'It million 1.: ~ C, ? -r ) t ,j· -) }j ;/){ ,Jt 1# ;/){ il? .0 , • grow up l;l, /!X R: T 7.> , *.A 1.: ~ 6 Grown-up (j , *A, adult 0) .tJ.
Dad: "WeiiJ you'll have to worlQretty hard 1:' {, :i-3 ;t ,i IJ: L ~ ( 1:' I±~ 17 ~ t-f..: :t, -j n·~ IJ ·'E~~t';ffb (
to get
~~~ 7.> t..:N.> 1.:
a million dollars." (IJj
r· II-
-
(f !J Demo hyakuman doru but
million
te 11i suru 11i wa.
dollar(s) in order to get
hararakanakucha dame
u11 -10
very much
mu\1 work
da
yo.
(it) is (emph.)
cl.
well li~J:?t.J5·.:t6t~l.:f'.l!1 o fl..f.: ..lt-c>t=i·-Jt. f-c>t / -f-Jtl/i~/t.:ltt' J • work pretty hard 0) pretty O)~gl ,J:I o Very 1.: {,Ill~ j~;t C, ~to i"J'. pretty 0) }j;l){, r l utf(lgo • get XXX dollars ~ t' ..t:; 1i ~ r~ <·n~tiget O)~h I) !.: earn <> N! ;t 6 0 Get 0) }J;IJtn niH3~ o
•
1
-)1J•IvL o
• a million !;l, one million (B lilt 1.' -) .: t ~ 0) -c', dollars t Jl.[l.",{ C. ~ 6
0
Calvin: "NQ.J_y.ton't. You will."
-+
fj'f)
<0)
f/ataraku 110
ti wa
boku ja nai.
one that works (as-for) 1/mc
is not
Papa
da
ro.
Dad
is
(emph.)
• No, I won't ti , I won't have to work -c' you will (.: l;l, You will have to work (hard to get a million dollars.) 1J{'ti
IBi't ~it "(I,. I 6 o
0
Dad: "Me?" ~ /~/~
1/'?
Papa
ga?
Papa (1/ me) (subj.)
Calvin: "I just want to inherit it."
-+ (f< l;i
t.:.t!.. 111~1CLf.::.'-' '
Boku
wa
tada
1/ rne
as-for just
~o:oku
shiwi
t.: tt ~ o dake sa.
want to i nherit only
(cmph.)
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M ANGAJIN
Calvin and Hobbes
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MAN GAJIN
13
The •
Translators Talk
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Interviews with four professional translators
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We asked Frederik Schodt, a translator
himse/f(also an interpreter and author/free" lance writer), to inter" view a few pro]essional translators and give our readers a picture of . what these curious animals are reqlly like. Becau8e ourp~imary readership is among Americans learning Japanese, we limited our interviews to non\. luitive speakers of Japanese who were making their living as translators. We were able to get a good , variety-two nym and two women; tWo in Califomia and two in Tokyo; translating material ranging from technical and riJedical to literary and political. Their backgrounds are as different as their approaches to their profession.
14
MA NGAJIN
Donald Philippi, San Francisco; free-lancer specializing in technical and medical.
• Don, you are widely regarded as the "teclmical translation guru" in this area. Can you tell us a little bit about your background, and how you got into technical translation? I began living and studying in Japan in 1956. My Rockefeller Foundation grant ran out in 1961, and I was asked by J apanese acquaintances to do technical translations for Hitachi, Ltd. The rationale was: " We know you have translated the Kojiki and arc familiar with the Manyoslrii, and we know that anyone who has mastered archaic Japanese to that extent could, with a certain amount ofeffort, master contemporary technical Japanese." That sealed my fate for the next 31 years or so.
• How long did you live in Japan? From 1956 until the end of 1970.
• How did you first team Japanese, and do you know any other languages? I was surrounded by Japanese language speakers in L.A. duri ng my childhood, and was mysteriously drawn to the language. I took three months off from university and memorized kanji, and continued studying the language until I went to live in Japan. I also was drawn toRuss ian and other Slavic languages, and I read Russian quite nuently. I have done considerable research into the Ainu language and epic folklore.
• I think you're being modest about the languages you know. Tell me, what kind of translation do you mainly do 110w? I have been doing technical translation since 1961, mostly in mechanical and electrical engineering, but also medicine and computers. I'm especially fond of translating patents. If anyone is looking for an experienced technical translator, my phone number is (4 15) 752-7735!
• Do you work through agencies or directly with clients, and why? Very seldom with clients. My relationships with a few agencies have been built up over the years. I like to have a cushion between myself and the client.
• D
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• You have in the past referred to a mysterious "translator's high" you sometimes experience. What do you particularly like about translation?
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It's the perfect career for an introvert or a misanthrope.lfyou do n't like people, you can stay at home and avoid contact with them. It·s j ust you and your dic tionaries and glossaries.
•
• On the subject ofdictionaries and glossaries, what reference materials do you use? For medicine, I use a whole shelf full of J-E and E-E medical dictionaries. For nuclear power plants, there i~ no single dictionary. and over the years I have built up my own glossary/ authority tile, which contains not only de finitions but also quotations from writing by specialists.
• You have in the past advocated having the fastest computer possible, and, I believe, listening to Motorhead tapes while translating. What sort of hardware do you use, and what sort of music do you recommend? Motorhead is hilarious but I find that pagan music from the Byzantine Empire is more conducive to translation. I recommend it to all translators. A very fast computer i. necessary because of the great length of my authority file, which has nearl y 2 MB and has to be constantly searched through and updated. I also like to open up numerous fil es in different windows and copy blocks from one file to another. I' m afraid omeday I will reach a saturation point-a point beyond which an MS-DOS machine will not be able to go. I have been contemplating the purchase of a faster (fastest) Macintosh, but can't afford one just now.
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F e a t u r e • S t o r y
• While on the subject ofaffording something, how much can you make translating, and how many hours a day do you normally work? I ordinarily do about 3,000 words a day. l could never count how many hours I work because of the constant interruptions. The income is quite good if there is a steady supply of work, but recently there hasn'tbeen. Last week I made$98.08. I do not rule out the possibility that some translators earn more than $100,000 a year.
• What is your normal day like? Do you work in the daytime or at night? I tend to get up late in the day-around II :00 or 12:00 noon. I work in the afternoon and evening. Sometimes I stay up a ll night working. Night time seems more conducive to concentration. There are fewer interruptions. I also like to shop after midnight. You can have the whole Safeway to yourself. Do you ever go shopping at 2:00 AM?
• No, it's a scary thought around here. On another subject, what is the most difficult aspect of translation for you? Are there any expressions or words that you
find impossible to translate?
How do you stay fit with all the sitting?
The most baffling and difficult words for me are names of foreigners, artifacts or products written in katakana. This creates real problems for all translators, especially since the Japanese have such a penchant for telescoping two words into a single j umble, as in kondemi o r pasokonkondemi is "condensate demineralizer," as I am sure everyone knows. Kuraddo can be e ither "clad" or "crud" in a power plant.
I am sedentary and overweight and do not believe in any ki nd of exercise. Other than that I am in good health. Probably the mental outlook influences the physical health. You know, a "cheerful mind" and all that.
• Do you feel threatened by machine translation? Having examined some o f the output, I know what MT is capable of doing. I don't feel exactly threatened by it, but I can see that it could be applied successfully in translation of parts lists and the like where o ne simply matches up sing le terms. Like natto =nut, and boruto = bolt. That sort of application can be handled very well by a machine. With any kind of complicated sentence, however, MT works very poorly, and we know how complicated and ambiguous Japanese sentences can be.
•I know you only translate, not interpret.
• Is there anything you don't like about translation? No.
• Is there a future in technical translation? I think there will always be J-E technical translation work unless Japan sinks into the ocean or something. However, the last year has been very difficult on account of the recession, and I see very little hope for a bright future. I would not recommend any newcomer to enter the profession at the present time.
• You haven 't been back to Japan in a while. How do you keep up with the language outside of the fields you work in? Do you watch films, read books or mango ? After more than 30 years of translating Japanese I find that I have completely lost all interest in Japan and Japanese (continued on page 17)
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MAN GAJ I N
15
F e a t u r e •
S
t o r
y
So you want to be a translator . by Carl Kay So you think you want to be a Japanese translator. What does that really mean? What training and credentials do you need? What equipment must you invest in? What are your prospects for employment? What kind o f income can you expect? What kind of lifestyle? Translators spend most of their time silting at a computer terminal. Translation involves reading in one language (in this case. Japanese) and writing in another (English). Translators don't get much exercise in the course of their work, and don't have a lot of contact with other people. This is especially true if you work as a freelance translator at home. If you want to be a doctor or a lawyer. you need to undergo training by an accredited body and follow established standards of professional practice and ethics. I f you don' t do these things. you can get in a lot of trouble. I f you want to be a translator, all you really have to do is call yourself one. There are a few institutions that offer professional translation training (and the number is growing). Most serious translators join the A merican Translators Association. which offers an accreditation program and issues professional and ethical standards that it polices to some degree. But you can work as a translator without doing any of these things, and no organized body will come after you. There is also no clear definition of the liability of translators for mistranslations, so in this way too. translation is a "quasi-profession" in America at thi s point. Aside f rom the investment you've made in learning to read Japanese, you' ll need some equipment (you 're going into business after all, though one that costs a lot less than opening a restaurant. forexample): computer, fax. modem, dictionaries and other reference materials. I f you work as an in-house translator. your employer will provide these things. The prospects for full-time employment at a company as a Japanese translator in the United States are not good. Only a few large American firms have such positions. Small firms that do a significant porti on of their business with Japan occasionally also have openings. A few translation companies hire full-time translators. A more likely source o f employment is the
16
MANGAJIN
large Japanese corporations in the United States, which sometimes have in-house departments to handle translation of technical manuals. I estimate that there are not more than 1.000 such jobs in the United States at this time. There are also jobs where translation is just one part of the job descri ption. In-house employment provides steady income, a now of work in one field. and colleagues to communicate with. M ost Japanese-to-English translators in the United States, however. work as freelancers. I estimate that about 5,000 people do at least one Japanese translation j ob per year and that there is a core of 250-500 serious full-time freelancers. These people usually work both for translation companies as well as directly for the end users of the translations. Full-time freelance Japanese translators in America constitute an inform al. geographically-dispersed yet close community. Meeting points include the annual convention of the A merican Translators Association; a San Francisco area group that meets monthly, and a series of annual conferences around the world organized by a loose network called IJET (International Japanese-English Translators). Some American translators of Japanese live in Japan, and many of them are members of JAT (Japan Association o fTranslators). These organizations and their various newsletters, electronic bulletin boards, etc., provide an infrastructure for practi tioners in the field. M any freelance Japanese translators work pan-time. Some are native Japanese who work full -time in a technical fi eld and on the side do translating in their special field. Some are Americans who have studied Japanese in college or learned it living in Japan, and translate to earn extra income, keep up their language skills. or make a living during gaps in their career path. Some people in all of the above categories also perform other services such as interpreting, business consulting, or language teaching. Translation in America in the late twentieth century is not a likely road to fabu lous wealth. but good translators can certain ly aspire to earn what. for example, engineers might earn. Customers of Japanese-to-English translation pay between 12 and 25 cents per word. Translation agencies typically pay freelance translators about half of what the client pays, i.e. about 6- 12 cents per word. It
is more lucrative, obviously, to work directly for the end user. but the service demanded by end-user customers can require additional overhead and time commitments not all translators want to make. In-house translators of Japanese appear to command salaries ranging from about $25.000-50.000 per year. plus the benefits that come from working at a company. Freelancers take on more risk, but the best ones make more money than in-house translators. Since a good translator of Japanese to English usually translates on average at least 200-250 words per hour, hourly earnings can range from about $15 to about S60. depending on the customer. Remember that freelancers do not always have smooth n ow of work (feast or famine syndrome). No hard data is available. but I believe that a competent, serious freelance translator of Japanese can earn between $30,000$50.000 per year after making some contacts in the marketplace. Earning more than that requires developing expenise required by a few high-paying customers. becoming much faster than the average translator. working many nights and weekends, or doing a lot of marketing to develop a very even n ow o f relati vely high-paying work. It might also involve providing other services such as consulting, or perhaps doing as I have done-changing from an individual translator into the president of a company specializing in Japan-related services. But as a businessman, I no longer have the lifestyle o f a translator. A translator is a man or woman of letters (or characters!). You live in a world of linguistic reality, traveling in the very esoteric but interesting zone between the two languages and cultures. There is a tangible feeling of satisfaction as the stack of sheets of each job (or the now of bytes over the modem) i s delivered. When you translate a contract, and see an announcement of the deal in the paper a few months later, you know that you played a part in the process of communication between two very different cultures.
Carl Kay is president of Japanese Language Services in Boston. He also teaches Japanese Technical Translation at M.I.T.
F e a t u r e • S t o r
y
(continued from page 15)
c ulture. ! read Japanese texts every day for my work, but for relaxation I prefer to read books or newspapers in other languages, mostly Eng lis h or Russian. I watch Rusian television all I can. Once you've reached the point of total jadedness, it's difficul t, almost impossible, to find anything at all to read in any language. And if it is inte resting it probably wouldn't be written in Japanese. Don't you agree?
Geraldine (Gerry) Harcourt, Pacific Grove, California; technical and literary; now teaching translation at Monterey Institute of International Studies.
• Gerry, you have an interesting background as a working translator. I first met you in Japan years ago, but you 're f rom New Zealand originally. Tell us how you wound up in California. I grew up in New Zealand and started studying Japanese in high school there. It was a new course offered in 1968, and one of the first of its type in New Zealand. I
kept studying through college because I was fascinated by the language and couldn't bring myself to stop studying it, but my major was actually marine biology. I first went to Japan in 1973 on a Ministry of Education scholarship to study biology. After two years I returned to New Zealand but because I was still fascinated by the language I went back to Japan, took a translating job a nd ended up living there sixteen years. I've been teaching translation at the Monterey Institute of International Studies since the beginning of this year, when I came to the States.
• So most ofyour Japanese was learned in New Zealand? I studied fornmlly in high school and at Auckland University, but not in Japan. I still had a long way to go when I arrived in Japan. I really learned most of my Japanese on the job, working as a translator.
• How did you get into translation? Having first gone to Japan to s tudy biology, I was at c ross purposes with myself when my scholars hip ended. I fe lt as though I hadn' t experienced enough of Japan. I wanted to live in Tokyo and con-
centrate on the language because I had just begun to be able to express myself and to make frie nds a nd so on. I went back to New Zealand for a while, but I couldn't settle down, because I had just whet my appetite. I chose to go back and do trans lation because 1 wanted to be involved with language but I didn' t want to teach English. I didn' t really think of translation as a career at that point, however.
• When /first met you, you were a technical translator at Simul International in Tokyo. Why did you switch to literature? I didn't switch completely. Twent on doing all the different types of mate rial you get at Simul, but I had reached a plateau. I had started out in technical translation but they began giving me work in all sorts of different fields, including speeches for government ministers. At first T was learning, and it was always challenging, but then I reached a point where I was familiar with the material and it wasn' t so c hallenging anymore-J felt like I was spinning my wheels. After four or five years in Japan I also began to be aware of losing my English vocabulary and writing
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MANGAJIN
17
F e a t u r e • S t o r
kills. partly becau e the material I was tran fating was always drawing on the arne vocabulary. I would read omething in English and run across a word I hadn 't seen in years and think, Oh what a wonderful word! I felt frustrated because English has such wonderful resources yet I wasn' t drawing on them. I wanted to tran late really good Japane e into really good English. I also noticed at some point, around 1980, that hardly any Japanese women writers had been translated. Many other women translators apparently noticed this at the same time, because there's been quite a boom in translation of women writers in the twelve years since then.
• Which do you think is harder, technical translation or literary translation ? Literary translation is harder because it's generally po ible to keep on polishing the translation until you are completely satisfied. If you have a deadline, it's likely to be a long one, at least a year, and cften you get to work on something with no deadline at all,oreven without a publisher. You have time to go back to it again and
y
again. and as a result you never really reach a point where you can say, "now that's finished.'' Even when a book is published, you still find things you'd do differently. With technical translation there's a clearer end point because there is an end user who usually wants something done by a certain deadline. And there's a difference between translating for information and translating for publication.
• How many books have you translated? I' ve translated six books. I have a couple of other projects on the back burner, but I don't have a date or publisher for the m yet.
• I know you've translated at least three books by Tsushima Yiiko. Are you her sole translator at this point? No, there are several others also working on her stories. • Is iJ possible to support yourself solely
with literary translation today? o, it's not. If you ask somebody who translates Murakami Haruki or some other best selling author, they might give you a different answer, but I think its extremely rare to be able to support yourself during
the time that it takes to do the translation.
• You mentioned that you are teaching translation at Monterey now. Let me ask you point blank-do you think that translation is something that can be taught? A nd if so, how?
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There is a basic aptitude required for translator, and if it's not there, you can't teach it. But if a person has lhe right language skills in both the target and source languages, I think they can learn a great deal from a more experienced translator. I personally learned a great deal over the years, not in a formal academic setting, but through having my translations checked and revised by nati ve Japanese speakers, and even more, by havi ng people who couldn't read the original Japanese read them. They taught me that you always have to be aware that your translation is going to be read as English. One of the advantages ofli terary translation is that, as I mentioned, you often have longer deadlines and you are therefore able to put the draft version aside for several months. Then when you come back to it, you have actually forgotten the Japa-
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nese original and you are able look at it as English. It can be a shock. Even if you' re not able to put the translation aside long enough to forget it, having done so a few times in the past, and having looked at your own work with fresh eyes, or having had an editor take a fresh look at it, alerts you learn to look for certain things. You learn what's most likely to need polishing-too many repetitions of the same word, for example. • What is your translCltion work routine like? Do you have page quotas? The work I do for clients depends on their deadline. For literary translations, where I have up to fifteen months to deliver a book, I tend to go fast at first, keeping to a daily quota, just to get it into orne son of English. It doesn't matter how rough the translation is, it helps just 10 get it physically into English. As I go along, I note the points that I'm going to spend more time on later. I sometimes write down three or four alternatives with a slash between them. That first draft is physically quite exhausting work, so I just try to keep pushing along. 1f1've got three hundred printed pages in Japanese, 1 try to keep up the momentum- say, six pages a day- just to get me through the book. I do the second draft much more slow! y, maybe only three typed pages a day. Then I put it away and forget it, and give the English its fi nal polishing in the third draft. • Do you use a computer, and do you have any favorite reference materials? I use a Macintosh, with Microsoft Word. !like the little Sanseido New Concise Japanese-English Dictionary that fits in you r pocket. I use a Kenkyusha dictionary too, but I prefer Sanseido because the latter's English is often more usable. Kenkyusha has to be used more cautiously. • What are the biggest problems you encounter in your translations? One of the main problems is making the dialog sound real. This is not always easy if you live in Japan, or if you're like me and speak in a more British as opposed to American style of English. These problems don't show up so much in technical translation, but in something more colloquial it becomes important to choose a consistent idiom. • What would you advise someone who wants to get into literary translation? I would advise them to find an author whose work they really like, because the translation is a laboroflove. As a practical point, I'd also advise finding out if the
rights to what you want to translate are avai lable-before putting a great deal of time into translating it-because there have been a surprising number of cases where two people have been translating the same work at the same time. When you pick a book you should contact the author, which can be done through the publisher. The author may want to see a sample, in which case you can polish up a small section of the work into the very best English before you send it. But you should get permission before you translate all of it. • What do you enjoy most about translation? I enjoy the feedback I get from readers of the translation, particularly people who can only read the work in translation, and also from book reviews in the English language press. 1 also enjoy the contacts that being published in English opens up for the author. All the authors that I translate are living, and I have interpreted for T sushima Yuko in several interviews with visiting journalists. Those kinds of contacts are very rewarding. Also, 1 choose books that I really enjoy and want to recommend to people by translating them. From the time that I began translating contemporary fiction, I felt that the image of Japan that was available in translated literature didn't come close to the Japan that I knew, or g ive a sense of the lives of the Japanese people that I knew. In the last few years, in particular, I've felt it's very important that English readers have access to different points of view, and to different voices from Japan, because so much of the Japanbashing going on presents the image of a nation with no dissenting voices. I think it' s important to get more of the diversity of Japanese writing into English. Just being a part of that process is rewarding. • What do you like most about the Japanese language? The same thing that attracted me to it in the first place. It's so different from English. It jolts my way of thinking. I enjoy the surprises.
Frank Baldwin, Tokyo; political, journalistic, academic; recently translated Ishihara Shintaro's The Japan That Can Say "No. " • Can you tell me a little about your background, and how long you've lived in Japan?
I first came to Japan in July, 1956, courtesy of the US Army. I was here for two years, 1956 to 1958, and then I came back late in '64 and was here two more years, working on my doctoral dissertation for Columbia University. Then I returned to Japan again in 1972 on a Fulbright to work on the Japan Interpreter, a quarterly then being published. Basically, I've been in Japan since 1972 with time off for bad behavior in the States. I currently work at the Translation Service Center, a project of the Asia Foundation since 1980. • What kind oftrallslation do you do? At the Center we select and translate articles from the Japanese press- the five major newspapers and other media, mainly monthlies. The Center provides those translations to over two hundred US newspapers free ofcharge. The idea was that there was a tremendous imbalance between what Japanese knewoabout America compared with what Americans know about Japan. The project was started to find opinion pieces for the op-ed pages of US newspapers, and that's what we still do. We have certain criteria. We focus on areas ofcommon interest between the US and Japan. Wedon'tdonewsat all. All the articles we translate also have to be signed, or the US papers won't use them. Wedon' tdoeditorials for that reason, but they'd be too boring, anyway. The subjects of the articles we translate range from trade, to lifestyle, to Japan-bashing to Americabashing, to religion. Some of them are "hard" topics-directly related to issues of current concern. Then there are "soft" features that demonstrate the diversity of news here, or that we think the US public simply ought to know about. Sometimes the US editors wonder why we select them. The key to this operation is that the editor (who may also be the translator) goes over the translation and checks it against the original, and then sits down and discusses it with the Japanese editor, Kano Tsutomu. That is what makes this translation project different from many others. We use both in-house and outside translators. • How did you leam Japanese? I discovered in July of 1956, when I was here in the military, that if! wanted to get off the base, I had to learn Japanese. I started out with the Naganuma texts Kore wa han desu, kore wa enpitsu desu, that son of thing-but I also took lessons after work from a translator who worked for our unit. He had been an English teacher (continued on page 30) MAN GAJIN
19
f
Sumo • Specia l
Sumo Japan's trendy old sport What i Japan· mo~t popular . port? For year . the answer was baseball (!ff.;.R. yakyt7). And for years the main reason for baseball's ascendancy was the nationwide popularity of the the Yomiuri Giants, whom their legions of fan s referred to as either Jaiantsu ( ':J-\' 1 7 / '/) or Kyojin (I ~A). But after winning nine straight Japan Series titles in the '60s and earl y '70s, the Kyojin have found it hard to maintain their supremacy. The once-fabl ed team of Nakashima Shigeru and Oh Sadaharu hit a new nadir last season when it slid into the ce ll ar- and TV ratings of their games fel I to levels unthinkable in their glory years. This season the Kyojin arc leading the Central League- and their ratings are perking up- but they arc no longer the only major players in the sports arena. Japan's oldest sport, swniJ, is threatening to become its most popular. HK' broadca t of the last day of the Natsu Bas/to ( .Q)JlJi~r. "Summer Tournament'') ~cored a whopping 34.8 rating according to the A.C. iclson rating ~ervice. And the Giants? A game the same week between the Kyojin and the Hanshin Taigiiw (P;i fill '117f-7-., Hanshin Tigcr~ )-a team based in Osakarecorded a so-so 21. I rating. Attendance is another measure of su mo's popularity. The Japan Sumo Association or Sumo Kyokai, the governing body of professional sumo, holds six I 5-day tournaments a year in arenas that have only one-fifth the number of 20
MAN GAJIN
seats as the Kyojin'!> home: the 50.000capacity Tokyo Dome- also known as the Big Egg. But competition for those seats is fierce: fans camp out in front of the Kokugikan (I'~
popular for their looks alone. Since joining professional sumo in the 1988 Ham Bas/to ( :{f:tJJ;Tfr. ''Spring T ournament.'' held in Osaka), they have been brilliant. fast- rising performers in a tough, highly competitive sport. Out of the I 00 or so I 5-year-olds who enter the sumo's 43 heya (il'!lht ·•stables") every year, only a handful ever make it to the top or makunouclti (~(J)]l~. " insi de- the-curtain") division. (Note: older boys can also join, but most shindeshi [ $Jf~.:n.::r-. " new sumo apprentices"[, have just completed their compulsory education; in Japan, junior high school.) But the Hanada brothers- their sltikona ( L. .:::. :71. "fighting names") combine their real surnames with characters used by their father and unclemade the climb to makunouchi with dazzling speed. T akahanada entered the division in the 1990 Natsu Bas/to O:.Uld ~i . "Summer Tournament''). after only two years and two months in professional sumo. At the age of 17 years and nine months he was the youngest rikishi ever to accomplish this feat. His older brother followed him into the makunouchi one tournament later. Since then the Hanada brothers have joined the elite group of young rikishi who are competing for promotion to sumo's hi ghest rank s: ozeki and yokozuna. In the process Takahanada has collected seven sanshu (:=: 'D:. three awards gi ven every tournament to outstanding rikishi below the two top ranks) and a yt7sho (I~W, " tournament
Sumo • S p ec
victory"). His win in January 1992-another youngest-ever record-was an outstanding 14-1 performance. It also had a special meaning for his uncle; his handing of the yilshOki (fllmfiit "tournament winner's flag") to his nephew was his last public gesture as retiring rijicho ( l!$--9:, JSA director) and a fittin g end to his 47- year sumo career. Fore ign rikishi are another reason why sumo is going over big. The three non-natives in the top division-Hawaiians Konis hiki, Akebono and Musashimaru-are giving sumo an international fl avor that the fans seem to like. But Ake bono, especially, seems to have won the affection and respect of not o nly fan s but sumo oyakata (~1J. ··eiders"). Said Sadogatake-oyakata, who runs the largest stable in sumo : ··[Foreig n rikishi] are full of fig hting spirit. They came he re to seek their forIUne, especially Ake bono. The time has come when all Japanese rikishi should learn from him." Born Chad Rowan on the island of Oahu, Akebono (Bli·-his shikona
a l
means "dawn") is a standout not only because of his size- at 204 em (6' 81!4") he is sumo's tallest rikishi- but because of his take- no- prisoners rivalry with the Hanada brothers. All three came into sumo at the same time and have been battling each other throug h the ranks ever since. (As of the 1992 Nagoya Basho, which Akebono sat out with an injure d leg, hi s makunouchi record against Wakahanada was 6- 3, against Takahanada, 7- 3.) One indication of Akebono' s fame: he a ppears, together with the Hanada brothe rs, on a 110ren ( <7) tL!v , " doo r curtain ") so ld at the Kokugikan souvenir shops. But in addition to the qualities of individual rikishi, sumo has maintained a constant hold on the Japanese fans' affections simply because it is so quintessentially Japanese: J apan without sumo would be like America without baseball. A part of the culture for 2000 years (a rough estimate- no one knows when sumo actually started), sumo has not only a long history but a rich store of traditions, ceremonies and jargon.
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I N PAST ISSUES: Ki: the Vital Force • The Highest Artform in Japan: TV Commercials . Corporate Japan and the Environment • An AnthropologisYs Life with the Yokuzo • Japan's Other Emperor • Underground Music in Chino • Voices from Moscow • Japanese Love Poems • The Creation of Monsters: Japan's Education Memos • Socially Responsible Investing • Sex in Senryu • Japanese Shamans • Japan's Nuclear Future • Blowing Shokuhochi • Time & Space in Japanese Gardens • Japanese Detective Fiction • The World of Japanese Pro Wrestling ....ond more! FICTION: Murakami Horvki, Abe Kobo, Murakami Ryu, lnogoki Torvho, Kojii Motojiro, Yosushi Inoue INTERVIEWS: ortist lsomu Noguchi, film director ltomi Juzo, theater director Peter Brook, Nagasaki Mayor Motashimo, mongojin Mizuki Shigerv, visionary Fritjof Copra, MIT's Nicholas Negropante, erotic photographer Araki Nobuyoshi, jazz musician John Zom, Bunroku narrator Aiodoiyu, psychologist Kowaii Hoyoo, sociologist Ueno Chizuko, women of the Water Trade, U.S. Woricers ot o Mazda plont ....ond morel SUBSCRIPTION S: 1 year/ four issues: In Japan ¥ 2,500; in the U.S. $20.00 ($30.00 a irmail); Elsewhere: $30.00 ($40.00 airmail) Send to: Kyoto Journal, 35 Minomigosho-mochi, Okazaki, Sokyo-ku, Kyoto 606 Japan. TEL: 075-771-611 1 FAX: 075-751-1196
Fore ig ners in Japan may not understand the meaning of the silk-embro idered aprons the makuno uc hi rikishi wear when they first file into the arena, or the strange words the little man in the brightly colored pajamas shouts as the rikis hi battle under the hot arena lights -many Japanese don' t eitherbut they seldom have any tro uble understanding the action. Sumo is an e lemental s port: no rounds, no gloves, no points, no weight classes. A rikishi wins by forcing h is opponent to step, fall or fly first out of the circle or touch the clay with any part of his body except the soles o f his feet. Although hitting with a fist, poking at the eyes and grabbing the mage (~, "topknot") or the part of the the mawashi ( i b L, "sumo belt") that goes between the legs a re forbidden, virtually anything else goes. And anything can inc lude slamming an opponent upside the head with a ham-sized palm or driving a hand, forefinger and thumb spread, at his throat. Sumo packs all the thrills of boxing, without the brain damage.
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Sumo •S pe cl al
This combination of ancient tradition and fast-paced mayhem-sumo bouts tend to end very quickly- has fas cinated foreign fans and inspired a few to write books about the sport. Compared with the Japanese sumo library, which numbers in the hundreds if not thousands, the selection in English i s limited and the quality highly variable. Here i s a se lection of the best-and not- so-best.
Grand Sumo, by Lora Sharnoff (New York: Weatherhill, 1990. 254 pages, $35.00). This i s quite simply the mo t accurate and thorough book on sumo in English. The author, a sumo columnist for The Weekender, has been an obsessed fan since 1975. What Lora Sharnoff doesn't know about sumo i sn' t worth mentioning. Sumo: From Rite to Sport, by P.L. Cuyler (New York: Weatherhill , 1979. 232 pages, $12.50). This book began life as a term paper-the author is a graduate of Princeton University- and
it shows. Cuyler is all right as long as she sticks to her sources on sumo's origins and ritual s, but when she tackles the modern sport she is totally out of her depth; she hadn't seen even one live sumo bout when she wrote the book. In 1985, when the paperback edition appeared, sumo buff Doreen Simmons, with the aid of " six knowledgeable people." attempted a major revision, but though she performed the editorial equi valem of dredging Boston Harbor. Simmons couldn' t find all of Cuyler's gross and numerous errors. This is one to approach with caution.
Sumo: A Pocket Guide, by Walter Long (Rutland, VT: Charles E. Tuttle. 126 pages, $9.95). This paperback cheapie is basically a condensed version of Sumo: From Rite to Sport. with assorted bits gathered from other English-language sources. Walter Long i s a pseudonym for the editorial flunky at Tuttle who did the cutting and pasting. Considering its origin s, the book performs its function as a primer for
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22
MAN GAJIN
novices fairly well. And it can be had for about the price of a back-row seat at the Kokugikan.
The Joy of Sumo, by David Benjamin (Rutland, VT: Charles E . Tuttle , 1992. 256 pages, $12.95). T he first humorous English-language sumo book, Joy was originally a magazine article in Tokyo Journal-and that's the way the author should have left it. He sounds great in excerpts-Benjamin has a wickedly unhinged way with a phrase- but he can' t stay the pace for nearly three hundred pages. The book sags under the weight of his self-regard (enormous) and ignorance (vast). (He thinks. for example. that professional ~umo has three divisions, not six.) Joy is for the uninformed fan who doesn't mind staying that way.
'I
Mark Schilling is n freel an ce u·rirer and translator lil•ing in Jnpan ~ince 1975. Correspondence to: 1105 Pearl House. 4 - 1- 10 Kami -Saginomiya, Nakano -ku. Tokyo
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MANGA J IN
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F e a t u r e • S t o r y l
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and l.ne'' omething about teaching lan-
guage. I did that for about a year and then \\enl to graduate school in '59 and began formal study at Columbia. When I came back in '64, I studied with a variety of teachers. I didn' t have any formal training in Japanese after grad school, but I have continued studying on my own with private teachers. • How did you gel involved in translation ? Did you set out to be a translator?
o. I have to word thjs carefully. but as a re ult of my participation in antiVietnam war protests in 1972, I felt I had no future in academia in the US. l wanted to learn about editing and translation, and more about contemporary Japan. so I applied for a Fulbright cholarship- which was a work-study grant at the Japan Interpreter. l found that I liked both translation and editing very much. much more than teaching. in fact, so I've essentially been doing both. with some part time teaching. since 1972. • What is your p osition with the Center? Is it like working for an agency?
The Asia Foundation is a non-profit
foundation headquartered in San Francisco, and they have a variety of programs in Japan, one of which is this Center. I am in effect a consultant, hired on a contractual basis as the senior US editor. I also do other translation work on my own. • Do you ever do interpreting? And do you think it requires a different type of personality?
No, I don't interpret. 1 don't know about personality, but it requires a different auitude toward the language and a different et of skjlls. Simultaneous interpreter . in my experience, don't make good translators. • What sort of work situation do you have? Do you work forty hours a week?
On this job, I work three days a week and am paid on an hourly basis. If I do translations on my own, then I get paid on the basis a standard four hundred character page, or genkoyoshi, and I charge as much as the market will bear. • What kind translations do you do on your own ?
I do essays from monthly magazines, or academic translations. I'm now doing
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machine translation, and I haven' t seen anything the least bit threatening yet. With the pre-editing required, I doubt that they'll ever get to the point that a machine can do unaided what a skjlled human can do.
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I work with an IBM Seleclric and then a secretary inputs the articles into a word processor and I edjt the hardcopy. At home, l have a Sanyo computer, but I'm computer-incompetent, o my wife does the inpuuing for me. r m afraid this condition can' t continue much longer, as you can imagine. As far as reference materials go, we've got the standard ones here in the office and I've accumulated many at home.
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with US journalists and their desire to convey his remarks in a sensational way. But even with the best of intentions, it was a real puzzler. We did publish a translation of it two months after the fact, but we called it an "interpretive translation." Translating a spontaneous s tatement by a Japanese politician involves reading tea leaves and the entrails of a goat. You want to be fair and not misrepresent what he is saying, but on the other hand a trip into the recesses of a prime minister's mind is full of pitfalls and dead ends.
I teach a course at Sophia University on translating from Japanese to Englis h, and one lecture I give has to do with translating humor. I find many aspects of Japanese humor simply cannot be translated and still be funny. They can be translated for scholarly purposes, with lengthy notes, but for our Translation Service Center purposes- conveying the original humor in a newspaper article- certain kinds of material, such as puns, are virtually tmpossible to translate. Other examples are humorous references to pop cultureto TV culture, TV personalities, or to manga, etc. You have to add so much explanatory material that the reader would ~top reading and the point would be lost in the details of the explanation. I can give you another example. We '-'Orked here on the Miyazawa s tatement on Americans and the work ethic. I think that· s an example of something that defied good translation, at least under the workmg conditions of deadline journalism. It v. as complicated by the malice involved
• Whathasbeenyourtoughestjob? Was it Ishihara's book? Do you do many politically sensitive translations? I don't think the Is hihara project was politically sensitive. It was difficult because I knew that many, many people were going to compare the original and the pirate edition with this edition. I was unusually aware of peer review. The chips can fall where they may as far as US- Japan relations go, I just wanted to get the text right and not make it better tl'lan it was or Jess than it was. Many of the essays we do are very
difficult because the writing is abstract and requires a good deal of interpretation. We often have to explain to the author why we have added material to his original text. Most authors understand and accept this necessity, but sometimes there are people who object violently. We're used to this now. I write a letter of explanation to the author now if I thjnk he or she will question what we've done. r didn't used to do this, but I think as translators we need to appreciate the valid concerns of the author. I recommend this procedure. Usually, in writing the letter, if the translator or editor picks out a couple of examples of how we have changed the text, then the author realizes that we are serio us and trying to represent the views in the article correctly. It's a type of "preemptive tactfulness."
• Do you think translation corrects international misunderstandings, or can it create them? Well, a good translation certainly avoids misunderstanding, and you can do some damage control with it after the fact, I suppose, but there's no way translatqrs
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31
F e a I u r e • S I o r y
can keep up with the mischief of politicians and journalists. We're just tidying up with the translations we do at the Center, because our articles appear in the States four to six weeks after the event. We provide a thoughtful corrective, perhaps, on some of the misunderstandings. At least I hope we do.
the assistance of somebody who knows what they're doing. I think translation essentially requires knowledge of a lot of techniques, but you can learn them in a few monthsifyou're in the right setting. There's nothing mystical about translation. Most of us just learn the techniques the hard way, unsystematically.
• What do you like about translating? What don 't you like? I like the constant freshness of the work. Each essay is a little different. Each one presents new linguistic and research problems. It keeps you mentally alert, and helps you stay on top of the language, and through the language, the society. What I don't like are publishers who underpay. The most frustrating part of the job is clients who don't understand the translation process and are unwilling to pay a decent rate.
• I would think that your translations are more interpretive than those in more commercial or technical fields. Have there been criticisms ofthe Center's approach ? The authors sometimes complain, and sometimes they feel we've been too free. Sometimes we have, and ifso we correct it, especially if we've distorted the meaning in the process of trying to write an interesting sentence. But we have to have the permission of both the author and the publication for our translations, and when werequestitweexplain in aJapaneseform letter that we don't do literal translations and that we follow US journalistic style. So the author is forewarned. If I think there's going to be a problem, I write a personal letter. Last year an editor at one of the major newspapers got involved with one of our translations and because he knew nothing about translation, became highly irate about some additions to the text which we had put in simply as explanatory background for US readers. That was an unpleasant incident that required hours of explanation. With the procedure I described earlier, however, we rarely have criticism from authors any more.
Sarah Allen, Tokyo; in-house translator at Berlitz; finance/economics, video scripts, etc.
• Can you tell me a Little bit about your general background? I' m thirty-six years old and I've lived in Japan for fifteen years, ever since I graduated from college in the States. I live in Tokyo, and work for Berlitz.
• How did you Learn Japanese? I didn' t major in Japanese in college. After coming here I studied at various language schools in Tokyo, and took some college level courses at Sophia. My mother is Japanese, so I did pick up some of the language from my relatives, but at home we didn't speak Japanese at all. I' m still studying-! guess I'm a perennial student. For me, even though I live in Japan, the study is never-ending. In fact, I'm going to an interpreting school now.
• What kind of translation do you do? To put that in perspective, let me tell you a little bit about the company. Berlitz is growing in Japan, and I've been able to do a lot of different things.!' ve worked for Berlitz for fifteen years, ever since I came here, and for the last three years I've worked in Berlitz Translation Services. Most of the translation I've done has been in finance and economics-mainly macroeconomics- and general business. But working for a large translation agency, I've had the opportunity to look at all kinds of different translations.
•Is your background in economics? No. It's just the sort of field that I feel more affinity with.
• Do you have any advice for people who wish to enter the profession ?
• Ho w did you get involved in translation ? Did you set out to be a translator?
Learn as much Japanese and English as possible. And if there's any kind of decent course in translation, it's probably worth taking. I had no formal training, myself. I had academic training, and writing experience, but I had no training in translation techniques. One either learns these as a hack translator doing terrible assignments for miserable wages, or with
No, I didn't set out to be a translator. I was working for Berlitz and was asked to help out in the translation division, so l can't say that I specifically set out to be a translator. I saw it as a good opportunity to gain experience. Working in-house has given me an opportunity to look at other translators' work and I've seen a broad range of work, styles, and terminology
32
M ANGAJIN
that I would not have otherwise been exposed to. That has given me the confidence to do translation on my own.
• How many in-house translators does Berlitz have in Tokyo, and what are the advantages of working in-house as opposed to working as a free-lancer? There are several Japanese people here, but there's only one other English native speaker like me. There are many Japanese translators and editors and many people double as both editor and translator- ! do. I think there are several advantages to our system. First, you get experience, you get the opportunity to see other people's work. You're exposed to a wide range of material, and you get to see the work of very good translators. Second, when you're working in-house, you're not just translating; you're also doing editing, project coordination, and so forth. Right now I'm working on videos, so my work, again, is not solely translation. I personally like this expansive approach, because I can develop my abilities in different directions. It all depends on what sort of person you are, of course. I don't want to work at home, and I don't think I could sit at home and do translations for six or eight hours a day. I like to be with people, and that's what an office is all about. Some people are suited to be translators and some people are suited to be interpreters. I enjoy coming to work and working with people. It's been a gold mine of experience for me- it enables me, for example, to see a translation from the Ministry of Finance being done by one of the best translators in Japan in that field.
• Do you work regular nine-to-five hours? J work ten-to-six.l think. I'm paid well and of course I have benefits. There isn't a high tum-over here-I've been with the company fifteen years. Berlitz is always looking for translators, but mostly contract, or freelance people. Since we have production centers all over the world, a lot of the translations into English are also done elsewhere. Some work going into English, for example, might be done in Los Angeles. I usually check translations done by translators living in Japan, but we also receive material translated overseas.
• What kind of hardware do you use? I guess you have easy access to reference materials? I use either an IBM or a Mac- I don't have any preference one way or another, I just use whatever system the job requires. Another great thing about working here is
J [
il ll
\
e d
•
u .l
d 0
F ea t u r e•Story that there are all kinds o f reference materials, so I don't have to go out and purchase the books and dictionaries mysel f. And there are al so other people who can help me if I need help.
• Do you feel threatened by machine Iran slatio n ? o, not at all. I don' t know very much about it. but I don't ce how it can ever match the ability o f expression humans have. At the level that we ai m for, I don't think a machine will ever be able to do the whole job. A lot of the manuscripts that we get in Japanese, well, they' re not always very clear. I don' t know if a machine will ever be able to handle that. Certainly not at the level of quality that a human translator can.
• Do you haveanyexamplesof"untranslatab/e expressions" or things you constantly have to struggle with ?
I
f )
t It
I can't think of anything specific offhand. except for the Japancse penchant for using "nado," or "etc.," to list everything. A writer in Engli sh wouldn' t be able to be that vague. Also, the usc of "ka" at the end o f everything, likejohoka, which doesn't
necessaril y mean " informationalize," as you might think. Translating into good English is a challenge. Japanese people use the same word over and over again, for example. As a result, the burden is on the translator to deliver a polished version in English. Sometimes the simplest things in Japanese- )ike letters or correspondence- are the harde t to translate. The structure of the paragraphs i n English and Japanese i different. In a Japanese letter you get the details at the beginning and the general idea at the end and as a result you can' t really translate it properly without restructuring the author's original idea. • I know you do a lot of video script
translations now. How does that differ from other types of translation? I find working wi th video interesting because the translation is l i ke the raw material. There arc a lot ofconstraints with video, such as time: you have to fit the translation into a time slot and match the words to the image. As a result, it often involves rewriting, but you still have to stay faithful to the original.
• What was the most difficult job you 've done so far? It was for a religious organization, one of the "new religions," and it was full of Buddhist terms, so I had to get into their mind-set and understand how they think. It was mainly difficult because of certain terms peculiar to the sect. I think these new religions do follow a pattern. and they are definitely a part of modem Japanese history. They carry on the tradition~. but they'veadded twists to many of them. You can see a lot of Shinto beliefs, for example, in the new religions. I found it fascinating. A Jot of it seemed very shamanistic to me- talking about spirits descendi ng on a person, and mixing this up with Buddhism; talking about people being taken over by fox spirits and so forth. It's i nteresting from an anthropological point of view.
• What do you like most about translating? I'm still studyingJapancse, and I have a Jo t of room for improvement. so it' s a way for me to learn and improve while developing my written expressi on in English as well. I like the idea of crafting (COII/illlll'tf 011 pOfll'
45)
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151 Yarai4o,Suolc405Shinjuku·ku, Tokyo.16l]aJ"'n
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Phone (03)3267-8766/ Fax (03)3267·8725
I
MAN GAJIN
33
Tanaka-kun
T ille:
i\'> i~ Yiibin
1
Mail
<
1-v .::. tl [!fliiJ.ii,J "'- ,'t', L. ""C ~ ""C Tanaka-krm kore riibin -kroku e daslrire kite kure. (namc-hon.) rhis · poq office to/at go mail (plca~e)
Boss: 111 1 11
"Ta naka-k un~ go mail this for me at t he post office, would you." ( PL2)
Tanaka-kun:
I'
1!
1/oi
" Yes Sir!" (PL3) On Desk: ~~ 1-f: Kachii
Section Head • yt7bin is ··mail/mail (service)" and yt7bin-kyoku is ·'post office:· 1-
~
J.
• dashire is the-re form of dasu ("put/send out"") and kite is the -te form o f kuru ("come"). Kuru afterthe -re form of a ve rb is literally "do and come," but it is used li ke the English expression "go do .'" • kure (fro m ku reru, "g ive fto me/us l") after the -te fo rm o f a verb makes a request or gentle command. This form is no rmally used only by male speaker .
9 J.. '1 · ..
GJ
Sound FX: A '1 A '1 A '1 Sura
.1'1/ta
sura
(effect o f walking briskly)
Boss: Ill 'I I
.::. :l"L !¥J)fiJ! }..j
A.,.
Tmwka-kun kore )'r7bin-kmku e (namc-hon.)
this
· post office
ro/ar
ll\ L. --c ~ --c
daslrire J.ire
kure.
go mail
(please)
"Tanaka-kun, go mail this for me at the post oflice, would you." (PL2) )£ jj1 ""(' ::fSokrtlatsu
de ne
'pccial deli,ery by ol..ay'!
" by special deli"ef.Y." (PL2) Tanaka-kun : /\ 1! 1-/ai
" Yes Sir!" (PL3) • sokutatsu is a combination o f the kanji fo r " fast/speedy" and ''reach/ auainlarrive at." It is the sta ndard Japanese word for referring to "special delivery·· mail, but not usually fo r any other kind of delive ry.
Sound FX : C.'
t:
C. C.' C.' C.' C.'
Do do do do do do do
(effect of running/charging rapid ly and noisily)
34
M AN G A JI N
Tanaka-kun
l
Title: r'J
"I
7 / (f G l
Upp1111-
barashi
re~cn1mcn1
c learing
Letting OIT Steam • uppun = ..resentment/ rancor/grudge" and barashi is from Jwrasu ("clear away/dispel''; h changes to b for euphony). Thil> make!> a noun meaning "letting off steam/venting rone's 1anger."
Bird: ;f.; '1 7 ~ lv 0-wke-mn
;f.; '1 7 ~ lv 0 -wke-.wn
(hon.-namc· hon.) (hon.-name-hon.)
" Miss Take" Miss Take." (PL3) Tanaka-kun: ~!! ~ (}) 1 \ tJ 7 ;f; 7 Y. 7 ! Kac/u)
110 baka
sec1ion head C= l fool
•
•
•
]
•
alw
llltlllllke
idio1
blockhead
" The boss is a fool, idiot, blockhead!" ( PL I ) 0 -take-san is a polite, and now somewhat old-fashioned, way of referring to a girl or woman whose actual name is Take. Both o- and - san are essentially honorific. "0-take-san " is the standard line fo r talking birds in Japan. no can indicate a wide variety of relationships between two nouns, but in this case it means the two are equal/the same. Japanese refer to their superiors at work by their titles rather than an equivalent of the English "boss'' - even when insulting them. · baka, aho, and manuke are all pretty much alike, meaning "idiot/ fool/blockhead." Manuke is perhaps reserved a bit more for implying the person is not so much a "jerk" as he is missing something upstairs • "halfwit/moron." Mild as these words may sound when translated into English, they are the most w ide l y-u~ed insults in Japanese, and tone makes the difference in how strong the insult becomes.
Bird : ;f3 '1 7 ~ 1-v 0 -rake-san
;f.; '1 7 ~ lv 0 -rake-san
" Miss Take, Miss Take." (PL3) Tanaka-kun: ~ R: (f) I'\ tJ 7 ;f; 7 Y. 7 ! Kachii
110
baka
scc1ion head(=) fool
aho
manuke
idiol
blockhead
"The boss is a fool idiot blockhead!" ( PLI )
Bird: ;f3 '1 7 ~ lv O-rake-.1·an
;!:; '1 7 ~ lv 0-rake-san
;f.; '1 7 ~ lv 0-take-san
" Miss TakeJ Miss Take, Miss T ake." (PL3) Tanaka-kun: ~* Er: Kac/u)
(})
1 '\ tJ
no baka
7
*
7
Y. 7 !
manuke
sec1ion head<=> fool
J
"The boss is a fool
Tanaka-kun: ;f.; '1 7 ~ lv 0-wke-san
;!:; '1 7 ~ lv 0-rake-san
(PL I)
;f.; '1 7 ~ lv O-wke-sw1
" Miss Take ... Miss Take . .. Miss Take ..." (PL3)
MAN G A JIN
35
0-jama Shimasu
Title: i~ Wu Junbi
taiso
preparation cxcrci;,c<,/cali'lthenics
Warm-up Exercises
GJ
Sound FX:
i
i ·:;
"I
Pi!
pi!
(effect of short,
I2J
~taccato
tweets o f the whistle)
Sound FX: !::'- ·:; Pi-.'
(effect of a longer tweet of the whistle)
Boy: J:- L Yo- shi
Owal/a
good/all right fini shed
"All right! I' m finis hed." (PL2) Boy: ~ ~1 ~ iJ' t:t. o Sa
Nem
\\CII then
ka 1za.
sleep/go to bed 'hall P
" Well then I guess I ' II go to bed." (PL2) Sound FX :
~~'I
/
Patan (sound of closing book with a ''slap")
Book : ~ k
-t -?
Sansi'i
Arithmetic • -"oshi is a form of the adjective iilyoi ("good/fine") that is used as an interjection showing readine!>~. For example, when you're ready to beg in an action or switch to something different; ·'All right !/Okay!" • owalla is the plain/abrupt past form of owaru ("fini sh/be over"). sa (or sii) il> another interjection that can be used to show one is about to do ~ometh ing, but with a feeling more like "Well now, let' s/1 think I'll ..... • neru can mean either "sleep" or ··go to bed."
Narra tion : t '/ :/ 1l'
I ll~ ... ippiki . ..
Hitsuji
ga
~hccp
(subj.) one
One s heep ...
Sound FX: !::' "/ Pi!
(effect of a short tweet of the whistle) • ippiki is a combination of ichi ("one") and -hiki, the counter suffix for most small animals. -hiki changes to -ppiki when combined with ichi, roku ("six" - roppiki), hachi ("'eight" lwppiki), andjtl ("ten" - juppiki). and to -biki when combined with san ("three"- sanbiki).
36
M ANGAJtN
0-jama Shimasu
Title:
158 Kokuhaku Confession
Sound FX: tJ / tJ / tJ / Kan kan kan Clang clan clan (sound o f warning bell for railroad crossing gate) Man: .li!,J, v'W -? -c § v' iTo Omoikitte iimasu. boldly/daringly say
" I'm going to come right out and sa y it." (PL3) Sound FX:
t-·· .:t- F -tDoki doki Thump thump (effect of heart beating/nervousness)
• omoikitte means " boldly/daringly/resolutely"; it is the -te form of omoikiru ("resign oneself to/give up/abandon all caution"). • iimasu is the PL3 form of iu ("say/will say").
l2J
Sound FX:
n·· -7
/
tJ" -7 /
t;•-$' /
t;•-$' /
Gatan gatan gatan gatan (heavy clickety-clack sound of train rushing by)
0
Woman: b -? - Ji § 0 Mo ichido itle
"'(
r· ~!? ~ v'? kudasaranai?
more one time say
please
"Could you say it again, plea se?" (PL2-4)
• mo before a number means that many "more." • -do is the counter suffix for "times/occasions," so ich.ido means "one time" and mo ichido means "one more time" -> "again." • ifle is the -te form of iu ("say"), and kudasaranai is the negative form of kudasaru, a PL4 verb meaning "give (to me/us)." Kudasaru after the -le form of a verb means " do - for me/us," or with the rising intonation of a question, "will you do - for me/us?" Asking the question with the negative form adds to the politeness and sounds very feminine, but because they are close friends and the situation is informal, she still uses the plain PL2 form, -nai, at the e nd of her sentence rather than a PL3 -masul masen form. For more on informal politeness, see Basic Japanese 18.
0
Man: ;t; 7 '± .:r..1 ;( -z-·-t o Boku wa eizu desu. Ume
as-for AIDS
" I am AIDS."
-->
am
" I have AIDS." (PL3)
Sound FX: .Y ·:; Da! (effect of dashing away as fast as she can)
• eizu is a katakana rendering of the English acronym "AIDS."
M ANGA JI N
37
Obatarian
Narration: :;f 1\ 7 ') 7 / ... Obataria11
Obatarians(;) Sound FX : ~+ '\' 71- '\' Pecha
kucha
'7{
'71
Wai
wai
(!alking/chattering) (boisterou~
crowd noise)
• pecha kuclw (or peclw pecha) gives the feeling of animated gabbing/chattering. Wai ll'ai repre ents the general clamor/commotion of a large group of people. • a we sec in lhc subsequent frames , the word Obatarian is being used here to state the general topic.
Narration: tJJ !J
Q)
Shoka
~~~ r.ll
110 Kwl ro
Kyoto Kyoto in early summer
early summer of
Sound F~ : .:¥ -t - .:¥ "\' -
Narration:
Grii
gyli
ti '/
ti '/
Garsu
garsu
(yelling and screaming) (voraciou s eatin g)
1L. Horoke 110 mi-kokoro 11i
f ureru
Buddha ('s) (hon.)-hcart (obj.) touch
Commune with the s pirit of Buddha Sound FX: I! - I! Pii
(high-pitched noise or whistling)
pii
'71
ry{
Wai
wai
(boisterous crowd noi,e)
• mi- is an honorific prefix like o-. and, in fact. when wriuen in kanji is wriuen with the same kanji as o-, f11J.
• kokoro can mean "mi nd" or "spirit" in add ition to the more literal translation of "heart.'' • fureru is literally " touch,'' but it can refer to bringing oneself close to something or exposing oneself to a certain atmosphere. • pii pii could be merely high pitched crowd noise. or it could be shrill whi ties in response to the singing.
Narration: '/ 7 Tstul
\jl
tour
7
Tour Sound FX: 7 - tJ 7 - tJ
I
Ktlka
ktlka
(effect o f breathing of someone who is asleep) • in an effect that English cannot duplicate. the complete thought/ sentence of the first three frames suddenly turns out to be a modifier for the word tsuli (a katakana rendering of English "tour"). T ake n all together. Obatarian, shoka no Ky
38
MAN GAJIN
Obatarian
Narration: :;1- 1\-7
1 )
b :flllq:f}(:
7 /
Obmarian
1110
obatarian'
dl'o cooking school to go/commute
ryiiri gakkrJ
ni kayou.
Obatarians, too, go to cooking school. (PL2) D - .A ~ !:::' - 7 -<: - T rrJsuto biifu de- su.
Teacher: A, 0 Li Kyo
wa
today as- for roa't beef
0
is
"The lesson for today is roast beer• ' " Today we' ll learn how to make r oast beef." (PL3) Oba tarians:
1
1\-
Ha- i
"Yes/Okay!" ( PL3)
• kayou essentially means '·go back and forth" and is used to refer to commuting to work/school as well as any other place o ne goes to on a regular basis. • rosuro biifu is a katakana rendering of English "roast beef." The teacher literally says '"Today is roast beef," but means '"T he lesson for today is roast beer:· Sound FX : '7
1 '7 1
Wai
(boisterous no ise of group)
wai
r(7-"r77-"r Becha
(talking/challeri ng)
kuclw
• becha kucha is another variant of pecha kucfw (sec facing page).
L--~---:::.....-..:::.::._~=.~----........,.
IIJ
Qbatarian : i> 1.-' L-! Oisl1ii-!
" Delicious!" (PL2) Obata ria n : -It 1
!
::I -
Saikii! best/greatest
" lt"s the best!'" • " You can' t beat this!" (PL2)
n
Obatarian: ;t t:.
.k. J.> -
o
Mala futoru-. again get fat/gain weight
" I'll gain some more wei ht" (PL2)
e
• mara is literally "again'' but in cases where degree/quantity is in-
volved it often means '"again increase/decrease'" ' "(become) more/less .. :· lt"s a bit ambiguous here, but it probably does not mean that she lost weight before and will now gain it back again: it's s imply that she wi ll gain more weight. Obataria n: ~ lv-<:
-? 'I? -<:
)l_
Nande
uchi de maw onaji mono o
why
home at
again
o,ame
thing
(obj.)
" Why (should I make) the same thing again a t 11/
li'). 111\:
he
Obatarian :
home?" (PL2) ;~'}JI\i; Lv' Bakabakashii
(PL2)
• 1wnde i a colloquial/informal doshite. ''why?" • she never finishes her first sentence, but a form of the verb tsukuru ("make") is implied.
MANGA JIN
39
Beranmei Tochan
't:::." I
t
40
MANGA JIN
Beranmei Tochan -------------------
Wife: c.'-{>
.A-.A-Tl.> Q\,.'
Domo
sii sil suru
(cmph.)
" It sure Tochan: 7- .:f 7
rrei
is drafly is draft~' t -/){
~ 1.-'
Sukima
ga
aile
gap
(subj.) open
-r
isn't it
it." (PL2) '\' -/){ lv t.!. yagan
da
is
(explan.)
"T here's a damn_gap between the door and the jamb)." (PL I) Sound FX: "A - .A sii sii (effect of draft blowing through crack) • domo emphasizes the verb that follows • " (do/docs) very much/a lot." • Adding suru ("do") to the FX word stl sil makes a verb meaning to "make a hissing/whistling sound" • "be drafty/feel cool."
• nei is Edokko dialect for ne. showing that the speaker expects confirmation/agreement. • sukima can be any "crack/gap/opening."' but here it's an opening between thefuswna ("! paper panelled. ~liding)
door") and the door jamb. apparently due to a no-longer-square door frame.
• aile is from the verb aku ("open") and yagarr dais a contraction of yagaruno da-an insulting/derrogatory ending used instead of iru ("'is/are"). plus no da to indicate "that's the explanation." Using yagaru here is l ike saying "a damn gap (has opened)"
r.
• "there' s a damn gap .. :·
t.::
Omai-smr
k ~ lv daiku nan da
kara
naoshi1okure
yo
Mr. you
arc carpenter (explan.)
~o
fix please
(cmph.)
Wife: Js i It'~ lv
" You' re a carpenter dear so why don't ou fi x it for me." (PLI) • omai-san is a dialect form of omae-san. Omae is usually thought of as a rough/informal word for "you" used only by males. but with -san added it becomes a term of endearment used mostly by females. • na n(o) dais the equivalent of the explanatory no da for after nouns. • naoshirokure is a contraction of naoshile, from naosu ("fix"),+ o-kure ("give me": o- is honorific. and makes the typically masculine kure usable by female~). (O)kure after the -te form of a verb is an informal request. "(please) do for me."
Tochan: ""-I?(!) <16 '-''? Berabomei!
" Are you kidding!" (PL I) .})1,.\
'? fr~J
(j:
*
t: f::f-1?.:: i Qlt' .t:'it
Oira
shigow wa
uclri
ni
mochikomanei
slwgi
na 11 dei!
I
work
home
into
not carry
principle
(cxplan.)
a~-for
" I make it a rule not to bring m work home!" (PL I) • berabome(i)!. is an exclamation showing that you think the person/thing in question is "idiotic/ridiculous/ outrageous ... It' s generally associated with Edokko speech. • oira can be thought of as a variation ofore, a rough. masculine word for "lfme." • mochikomanei is Edokko dialect for mochikomcmai. the negative form of mochikomu ("bri ng/carry in"). Shi8oto wa uclri ni mochikomanai is a complete thought/sentence modifying slwgi ("principle/policy''). • na 11 dei is dialect for the explanatory na no da which in thi s case serves mainly as emphasis.
Soshiwra 'o I hen
shigmo-ba ni
moue lte
yare
11e
kai?
workplace
lake-and
do
(quote)
(?)
to
" So she told you to take it to work and do it?" (PL2) Tochan: ) lv ... Un
" Yeah ·...,!2" (PL2) Sound FX: "/ .::L - "/ .::L slul
sill/
(the hiss-like effect of planing wood) • soshiwra is from sri !>lriwra. literally "when (you) did that way" • "when you said that" • ·'so then." • moue tie vare 11e is a contraction of moue ifle yare (combining moue from mo1su ["hold/carry")+ ine from iku ["go" I + yare the command form of yam ["do"l), followed by ne to indicate a quote. • kai is a colloquial cqui valent of ka. the question marker, but kai has a softer. friendlier tone.
M ANGAJIN
4 1
_ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ___:D::...:a::...:i...:. -Tokyo Binbo Seikatsu Manyuaru
-}j(;t;~
tTL---~ (: ;1,- (j: J!l! l_, '(-> fJ~
t::. 9
42
MAN GAJIN
tj.
Dai Tokyo Binbo Seikatsu Manyuaru
- ---
Title: t!~ 8 Dai Hacfli
u•a
No. 8
story: wmerme lon
Suika
StorYl'/o. 8: The Watermelon Letter:
ii"v'
([)""[:
amai
110
~iF
(J)
Kotoshi
110
th is year
('s) watcrme lon(s) as-for are sweet
1 tJ suika
l:t wa
;;.,
u- i::?
:ili f) 1 T o
de flitotsu
okurimasu.
because one
send
This J ear's watermelons are sweet, so I'm sending you one. (PL3) ·A t3. i:: ft ""'- J.> ~ ~ t ~ v' -r-· L.. .t - i.P t? o
lJ
fliwri
da
One person is
to
taberu
if/when
eat
kikai
nai
1110
opportunity even not have
J:
~J o
desha
kara.
Haha yori.
probably
because
mother from
(!lecause] when you' r e alone you probably don' t have anv opportunities to eat {watermelon. From Mother. (PL3) • although the note is from Kosuke's mother. it is written in PL3. Letters are typicall y written in either PL3 or PL4, even if the correspondents would use PL2 in speaking face-to- face. This custom is breaking down among the younger generation. however. • Ihe spelling of desilo as -r: L.. .t - instead o f -r-· L.. .t ? is common in both manga and personal writing. In other words, some people follow the katakana spell ing rules even when writing hiragana. • hitori is l iterally "one person," but by extension it also means ·'alone." • following a verb or adjective. to means "if' or ·'whenever." • the use of mo after kikai emphasizes the negati ve. • "from" is normally kara. but when signing a letter the archaic yori is used. • although there is a kanji compound for suika, as seen in the ti tle. Maekawa has chosen not to use it in the rest of the story. Instead, he writes the word in katakana. a common practice in manga.
A<
Narration: li1 ~!Ill Reizoko
ga
nai
refrigerator (subj.) not
no de
ore
wa
mizu de
because
I
as-for water by-means-of ch.ill
fli yasu
koto ni sflita. decided to
Since I don' t have a refri erator I decided to chill it with water. (PL2) Kosuke: ;J< jl[ 1\: &iHl (J) t.:. ¥>, ::.. (J) < t? "' 1.: L.. t .: o s uidodai
setsuvaku
no tame. kono
econ~mizing ('s) sake
water bill
this
kurai
ni shitoko.
degree
at
do and leave m
" In order to save on m water bill I'll leave it at this much." (PL2) Sound FX: + 3 o (sound of water trickl ing)
Choro
• unlike North American apartments, Japanese apartments are usually rented without kitchen appliances. Li ving the binbo seikatsu, Kosuke has evidently been unable to buy even a small refrigerator. • ore is the rough masculine word for ''lime." Thi s is another example of usi ng katakana in place of kanji . • hiyasu means " chill something/make it cold.'' • koto ni shit a is the past form of the phrase koto ni suru. which after a verb means "decide to .. .'' • shitoko is a contraction o f shite oko. The -te form of a verb fol lowed by oku "put'' means "do the action ahead of time" or " do and leave as is." Oko is the PL2 equivalent of okimasho " let's put" or " I wi ll put."
Kosuke: ih h
t
~
Are
ja
that
by means of pre tty much
nakanaka
hienai
daro
won't chill
probably (emph. )
na.
" It probably won' t chill very much that way, will it." -> " It's never going to chill that waJ', is
it." (PL2) • ja is a contraction of de wa. • nakanaka means "fairly" or "pretty much" with positive verbs and adjectives, but with a negative it means ' '(not) readily/(not) really.'' • hienai is the negati ve of flieru ("[something 1 becomes chilled"), the intransitive partner of hiyasu ("chill )something\ )." • daro t!. ~- (standard spelling= t!.-? ? ) is the PL2 equivalent of desha.
!" [Ql. _____K_o-su_k_e_=_N_"/Huh? _!--------------------------------------------------------~
M ANGAJtN
43
Dai-Tokyo BinbO Seikatsu Manyuaru
44
MAN GAJIN
Dai Tokyo Binbo Seikatsu Manyuaru
Hiroko: Soko
de gakiiJei-Hm
there
n1
siUdcnt (hon.)
ni atw to
met
110.
(cx plan. )
" I met the !OtudenUust down the street." (PL2) • wko. literally "there:· is used a~ a vague way to refer to a destinati on or location. • de marks the place where an action occur~. • people who are notthemse l ve~ ~tudent\ ma) add the honorific -san when talking about Mudents in the pre~ ence of a student. ''The student" li ve~ next door to Kosuke and b u~ually referred to ~impl y as tonori no 8akusei. " the student next door." Hb name is never revealed. • lllta is the past tense of a11, "meet." here. in the sense of "ran into." Note that the person met i s marked with ni. not o. •
Hiroko: (;t '<'
<
iii X. to:"' iJ' L. C:J ~
Hayak11
hienai
kashira.
c.tuickly
won't chill
I wonder
"I wo!1der if it won' t chill quickl y." • " I hope it chills quickly." (PL2) Student : t> .t. -? Chouo
t
a bi t
tr iJ' ~
~l'
kaka m
desluJ
Ill'
take
probabl y
(colloq.)
L .t. -
t~
" It' ll J!!'Obably take a little time." (PL3) • lw wtku is the adverb form of lwmi. " fast." • ka:1·hira is an informal feminine ·,entence ending i ndicating doubt or pua lement. The masculine equivalent b ka na( a). • kakartt has many me<~nings, one of which is "take (time/money/effon )."
S tudent: i ') . .l.. .:¥!r:
""C' 'b
Ma! . m11gicha
demo
" ell
or
barle) tea
"W~ase
dii:.o.
~omething
pJca,c ha'e
have some barley tea or something."
Sound FX: ' ' $' / Batan
(sound of slamming a door) • mugiclw is made from roasted barley. You may either brew it at home using special " tea bags" or buy it read) -made in canons at the local convenience store. Slight!) biller. it is usually ser, cd chilled and i\ a popular and refreshing drink during Japan's relentle~sl y muggy summers. • demo. " or something," is often added to invitations or suggestions to add a touch of polite vaguenes~.
lial____
= _'_'_-_/---------------------------------------------------------~ Ban
So _ u_n_d_ F_ x_ _ " Ba_llg_!_"
y ...----
F e a t u r e • S t o r /continued from pa!(e 33)
words on paper. Translation blends this with the conveying of ideas from a foreign culture. I really like translating colloquial Japanese. It can sound so many different ways in English. • Are you ever under pressure to be more literal or loose i11 your translatio11s? It depend . When we do translations for video. the n I think we can be a little more loose, because we have to take into consideration image, time, communication, and the overall goal of the project-
video is usually part of a larger project. If you're doing a translation for a government ministry or a bank, then you have to stick closer to the o riginal, unless it's for the sake of good English. • Do you have any advice for people who wish to enter the profession? Usually the advice given here is to find a :.pecially. I work in-house so I have been able to avoid that, but I think it would be a good idea for someone entering the field to perhaps start out editing. Editing
makes you look at your own language objectively. You have to learn a lot about your own language to be a translator: you have to learn what works and what doesn · t wo rk in English, and what's effective in communication and what's not.
Apologies to Arnie Rusoff and Dan L. Kanagy who also graciously consemed to be interviewed. We just ran out ofroom in this issue, bw we '//t ry to bring you their interviews in a future issue.
MANGA Jt N
45
Dai-Tokyo Binbo Seikatsu Manyuaru
~RI\11 l '
;t
-r:· "L
"?
"L
"to*
n·A;., C!:Jt ~
c:
l;t.
46
MAN G A JIN
Dai Tokyo Binbo Seikatsu Manyuaru
Student: iii:< Chikaku
de yaue-ru
mitai
nearby
at
it
arc doing
appear~
desu
11e.
i~
(emph .)
" It appears that they're doing it nearby.'' - • " It looks like it's going on nearby." (PL3) • chikaku "nearby/vicinity.'' i~ the noun form of chikai. " ncar:· • yau e-ru is a contraction of yaue-im. "i~/are doing." Yam i~ a more vigorous. sometimes ~ lightly slangier way of saying "do" than sum i\. • mitai can be used after nouns. adjecti ves. and verbs to imply "that·~ the way it looks/seems to be:·
Hiroko:
~i -:>
-r
h.lj: ~ '? minai won't (you) go and >cc?
/ue
" Don' t you want to go sec?" (PL2) -c 11'.: - n'o Kosukc: 3 A
Student:
• • • • • •
sa1111in
de
3 people
being shall we go (?)
ikiJ
ka.
"Shall the three of us go?" • " Why_ don ' t all three of us go?" (PL2) ~ (J) . :¥7 . ly:J F-1 .A ~ lj: A- -c .. . Ano,
boku.
as/rita
um
I
tomorro"' IC't
shike11
110 11 de . . .
"U rn~
I have a test tomorrow so ..."
being that
- te mint means to do something in order to see what it is like or to sec what happens. invitations are issued as negati ve questions. If she were using PL3. she would say iue mimase11 ka. .wn11i11 de is ·'as (a group of) 3 people:· Futari de is "as a pair/the two of us." and hitori de is "alone... a11o is short for a11iJ. a typical hesitation noise. Japanese uni versitic~ hold classes well i nto the summer. and summer vacation is only about six week>. na 11 de is a contraction of 1W 110 de. "being that it is...
*
-c
Student: 11th
o ~ kuru koro
Kael/e
rcwrning come approximate time
1.: li
?% i.. -r o A- L. ~ lj: ~' -c -t n' o
ni wa
hietem
al
a,.for be chilled
11 jatwi i'n't 11
desu
ka. (? )
" 8 • the time you come back, I bet it' ll be chilled." (PL3) Kosukc:
~-?
-c -t
Sr)
desu ne
>0
is
~
...
(cmph .)
" I guess so." • hiete-(i)ru refers to the state of already being chilled, not to the process of becoming chilled. • addingjanai (desu ka) tO a ~entence turns it into a mild assertion.
Sign: i!t
~
Yaki
c-
b 0 .: L.
tomorokoshi.
tmwi.
Roast corn on the cob. Delicious. Sign:
bt.:.~V'J
Wata-ame.
Cotton candy. Sign: t.:..: ~ ~ Takoraki.
Octo~us fritters.
• at stalls like this corn on the cob is basted with soy sauce and roasted over a charcoal fire. • takoyaki are spherical ..fri11cr~.. of chopped octopus meat mixed wi th flavorings (ginger. onion. etc.) in a baller and cooked on a special griddle with rounded indentation~.
Sign : 13't ~ -Yaki
(this is a close-up of the takoyaki booth)
M ANGAJIN
47
Sound FX: 1::
.;1. -
Hyil
Sound FX: 1:: .;1.Hyil 48
MAN GAJ I N
(sound of something whizzing through the air)
Sound FX: Bablin " ' \ - / (sound o f a huge explosion)
M ANGA J I N
49
Dai-Tokyo Binbi5 Seikatsu Manyuaru
50
MANGAJ IN
Dai Tokyo BinbO Seikatsu Manyuaru
Student: JH' L. \.' :A 111
-z"T
~:l o
Oishii
suika
desu
Ill'.
delic ious
watermelon is
isn't it
" Delicious watermelon, isn' t it?" ( PL3) Hiroko: :Z :Z J: < ii"~ :Z -c ~ '7 Ee.
roku hietem
" ·a.
yes
'well
(cmph.)
is-chilled
"Yes, it's well-chilled." (PL2) wa. wriuen h or '7 . not !;!.. is a mostly feminine sentence-ending particle. although men use it in certain parts of the country.
Kgspke: 0 -:>
(j:
A!
nishi
11·a
(cxc lam.)
west
as- for this-way
kotchi
desu
ro
is
(cmph.) isn't it
ne.
"O h, west is this way, isn ' t it?" (PL3) Stujient: :Z :Z Ee.
"Yes." • kotchi is a contraction of koch ira. " this way/this directi on."
<7:>
<
1.:
J:
l'U? il t..: A.. "C' T
J: o
Ofukuro
ni
rok11
i11·arew
yo.
old lady
by
often
had it said (cxplan.) (cmph. )
Kosuke: 1::>.,;.,
'' desu
"I' ve often had it said to me by my mom." (PL3) lrJJ-tJ 1;1: jl{j a- JuJ\,'-c ft"'lj:~\,'J 0 -c .. . HatswiWilll •va first produce
"'Eat the
nishi o
muite
tabenasai
as-for west (obj.) fac ing eat first J!rO~_!lce of the season while
<
~'*
1;1:
J:
lmi
wa
yoku
i?iJ' IJ i-tt A.. rt ll'akarimasen
meaning as-for well don' t understand
1/e .. . (quotat ion)
faci!!g ' '.'est,' sjle_says."
c· .. .
kedo .. . but
" I don' t really understand the meaning, but ... "
• "I really don' t understand why, but ..." (PL3) Student: "';{_ ... Hi!
"How about that." • ofukuro is a slang/inform al term for "mother" used by men. T he correspondi ng slang term for "father" is oyaji . • i\1'{/reta ("I've had it said"). is the past passive or ill. "say." • even now. Japanese consumers seem to place more importance than North Americans o n eating fruits and vegetables in season. and so the first appear ance of a favorite fru it or vegetable is a special occasion. Hats tiiiWJw refers to the first appearance of a fruit or vegetable in a given season. • tabenasai from rabe ru. "eat.'' is an informal command most often used by parents or teachers talking to children. • putting tte after a sentence marks it off as a quotation. • hi! is an expression of surprise. • in the lower right hand corner is a katorisenko (!Jttlfxl~fi:). a coi l of mosquito repellent incense.
MAN GAJ I N
5 1
B EigyO Tenteko Nisshi f'F • 't *.n~
TIIl1 •
story • Gyu Jiro
The story
so
i!i: Ji~ ~$ WJ
art • Kondo Yosuke
far
Minamida Yosuke, a young employee of Toa Electric. i. transferred from the General Affa irs Department to the Sales Departmenl. He is warned that times arc hard. and that every employee is expected to "throw himself into the battle like a human projectile:· Still. he is unprepared for what he finds in his new position.
He quickly learns that things are done differently in the sales departmenl. His previous employment history and experience are completely irrelevant, and he is treated like a military rccruil.
All that matters in the sales department is the length of the salesmen· s bar graphs. ~li--.!.f ~· A
II
t.
r ()) ;;.-"* 7 •
b "f 11
:=·
© Gyu & Kondo I Eigyii Tente~o Nissili. Fir' l publi, hcd in Ja pan in 1988 by A ::I "i /Scholar. Engli'h translation nghh arranged through A ::J 7/Scholar. •.
In this episode, his immediate supervisor. the kakari-clto. gives him a brief lectu re o n the essentials of sal esmanship, hands him his meishi ("business cards"). and sends him out to start makin g his rounds .
·. MAN G AJ I N
53
Eigyo Tenteko Nisshi
------------------------------------
54
M ANG A JI N
---------------------------------
Eigyo Tenteko Nisshi
Ore ga
lime (subj.) group leader (=) (name) " I'm your gro~~ leader Shibata
<
t:.:o
J: ~ .Z t Yoku oboetoke
yo.
am
well
(emph.)
11f:~ (J) ~EEl BBJL kakari-chi5 no Shibata Hiyoshimaru da.
Shibata: 1ft£ i;{
tt J: o
remember
lf.i.yoshimaru. Don' t you forget it." (PL2)
• no between two nouns can have many di fferent meanings, but here it functions li ke··... who is/that is .. ."' • yoku is the adverb form of iilyoi ("good/nice"), and oboeroke is a contraction of oboere oke. the command form of oboete oku, from oboeru ("learn/memorize") and oku (" set/place").
Shibata: tf ·;; 7-
1)
Gatchiri
M shiri no ana kara chi
solidly/well bull
of
hole from
ga
deru
hodo
kawaigatte yaru
blood (subj.)come out to the extent of dote on you
kara
lj: o na.
because (emph.)
"(Because) I' ll take such good care of ou that you' ll bleed from the hole in your butt." (PL2) Sound FX: ;{~ ;\ ~ Baki baki
C rack crack (effect of cracking his knuckles) • gatchiri is the adverb form of garchiri shira , with such meanings as ' 'solid (construction)/hard-headed (person)/forceful (action)" - • "do well/thoroughly." Here, gatchiri and shiri no ana karachi ga deru hodo ("to the extent that blood comes out of the hole in your butt'') are parallel modifiers for kawaigatte yaru. • kawaigatte yaru is from kawaigaru , which means "dote on/take good care of,'' but, as his knuckle-cracking makes clear. he is using it ironically here. Yaru after the -te form of a verb means ' '(do) for/to you" when •
Shibata:
speaking to someone of lower status. is a mostly masculine equivalent of the colloquialne, which expects or asks for confirmation/agreement from the listener. Here he "expects"- i.e., assumes- confirmation that they understand.
1w
-'F < Tsuraku
narrara
harsh/tough if becomes
irsu demo
yonige
shire ii
zo!
anytime
fl ight by night
may do
(emph.-masc.)
" If it gets too tcrngh for y.QM, feel free to run away anytime." (PL2) • tsuraku is the adverb form of tsurai ("trying/painful/tough") and nattara is a condi tional "if/when" form of naru ("become"), so rsurakunartara means " i f it becomes (too) tough/painful.'' • yonige, written with kanji for "night" and ··escape," is a noun meaning "running away/escape under cover of darkness/at night.'' Adding shire, from suru ("do"), makes i t a verb. • -re ii (or te mo ii) gives permission: "you may .. : · " feel free to ..."
Shibata: ft ~? fJ
l;;t
Kawari
wa
ikura demo
iru
kara
substilu!es/replacements as-for unlimited number/quantity
''(Because) there are plenty of replacements."
of others read to take
your place." (PL2) M& T: l;;t liv'! Ha
hai!
" Y-y_es Sir!" (PL2) • ka ...ari is the noun form of kawaru ("take the place of/substitute for"). • ikura is ' 'how many/much" and ikura demo is ''however many/whatever quantity (needed)" • "an unli mited number/quantity"
• ''plenty."
• iru = "exist(s)" (for animate things)
Shibata : J: -
La
~ i" tfJ !!
Yo- slri.
yasume!
okay/good
at ease
" Good. At ease." (PL2) M & T : ;t; ·; Ho!
" Whew." (PL2) • yoshi is an exclamatOry/interjectory form of the adjective iilyoi ("good/fine"). • yasume is the abrupt command form of yasumu ("rest/take it easy"), and is the standard Japanese form of the command "At ease:·
M ANGAJ ! N
55
Eigyo Tenteko Nisshi
~ ;·=- ~
~;l ::l "? 1_, t:t. :..
~-
t
A ::l
t.flJi
•
~:·
~
::. .:y;. .::L .X. C. 1: I ~
¢ tJ;JM -+f I"
'IJ•
;- I . (!)
56
M ANGAJIN
ti ~L-oJ:
h
~
!!
A, ~
n~ •~
.,._........_ 1:
t:. .. 1_, A."~
t::
Eigyo Tenteko Nisshi
------------------~
IE L < '/
o
tadashiku!
Shibata: %,~-?tt! ! ];::?,} Ki o tsuke!
Shisei
attention
posture (obj.) make correct/proper nccl.tie
Nekwai
wa kichin-to! as-for make exact/neat
" Attention! ! (Always maintain) correct posture! Withyour neckties straight!" (PL2) FX: !::' - '/
(one of the uses of bii is for electrical s hock. so here it's the ·jolt" that makes them - and their hair - stand up straight)
Bi-.'
Shibata:
WI
FX: 7 /
Aso
ho wo
mi,goilo
k11.?
7 /
Ktm ktm (effect of sniffing. to check Minamida's breath)
morning teeth as-for brushed/polished ?
" Did yq_u brush your teeth this morning?" (PL2)
e.
Ha hai.
h. h. fJ{ i L f.:. o Mi- Migakimashita.
y-
Ill brushed/polished
Minamida: (j: {j: It' o yes
"Yes I did." (PL3) • migaiw is the plain past, and migakimashita the PL3 past, form of migaku ("polis h").
[TI
Shibata: J: L o 0 ~
fJt go
L f.:. lv shita 11
t ~ i-31.!} fU!· /-v
~: ~~ h :.h.~!!
ja
11i kirawareru!
Yoshi.
Koshl7
good
halitosis (subj.) did (cx plan. ) if
o-tokui-.wll
clients/customer> by be/will be disliked
" Good. Your customers won't like you if your breath smells." (PL2) Sound FX:
~ .:z. '/ Shu! (effect of spraying something in a very brief spurt/puff)
• 11 ja is a contraction of the explanatory no and de
Shibata : "'-? 'b
ll'll.
:::::.. ::1 :::::.. ::1 seiketstHW
hitogara
and it literally means ·'if it is the case that."
~~L"'
Ei~ o
yasashii
kotoba.
ltsumo
niko-11iko
always
smile/be cheerful pure/clean character/per'>onality kindly/gentle words
.'f£1~L0!! Fukusho shiro! recite/repeat [=command I
"Always cheerful, a clean per onality, and kindly words. Repeat !" (PL2) -;·'{!f: 'b :::::.. ::I .=. ::I AM ~~L"' Cl
M & T : 1.-' -?
~0
ltsumo 11iko-niko
seiketstHill
hitogara
yasashii
smile/be cheerful pure/clean character/pc~onality kindly/gentle
always
kotoba. words
"Always cheerful, a clean personality, and kindly words." (PL2) • fukusllo shiro is the abrupt command form of fukus/1() suru ("repeat [words]"). As a slogan. his words might better be reduced to something like "Cheerful, clean, and polite.''
Shibata: -f
I 1'0 IJJj
~
-? f.:.' o -f :.h.
Sii da.
Sore
o
is so
that (obj.) harmonious face kindly/affectionate words (quote) say
wagan
aigo
to
iu.
"That's right. It's called wagan aigo." (PL2) M & T:
:film!
<£Wtt!?
Wogan
aigo
harmoniou~
face
• wagan combi nes the kanji for ' 'harmonious" and "face;· while aigo
kindly/affectionate words
" Wagan aigQ£" (PL2)
B
Shibata :
f~
0)
g :li€
combines "love" and "words ...
f.!. o
1-f:¥.>o
Zen no kotoba
da.
Yasume.
Zen of
blare
at
words/expre~~ion
ea~e
" It's an expression from Zen (Buddhismj . At case." (PL2)
@J
Shibata : ftfJ<
m-- ~
(J)
Section 3
(' s) main strength product
:::E.h
Waga Dai-sanka no slluryok11 our
~r~lt
li
*ililffill'tr .
uihin
••·a
kaden sltohin,
a~· for hou~chold
appliances
" The main products we sell in Section 3 are household appliances," (PL2) ~!f t: tok11 ni
~ill
r.r: i7t i?t1 ~
rei~oko
~ t' (J) 1'1 'b (J) f.!. 0 11ado 110 shiromo11o da.
se11tak11ki
especially refrigerator washing machine etc.
(=)
white goods is/are
"especially white goods such as rcfri_gcrators and washing machines." ( PL2) • s/111ryoku combines "main" and "strengt h/force" to mean "main/principal/most important."
Shibata: t' -) Dli
~ -? "C -
\'l/1/e
B
ichidai
< dTJfJJ
"t" t ~ de 1110 oku
how doing one machine even
.vhijii
1:
j~ I) .:. l-J..
IIi okllrikomi
more market to send into-and
( Clllltillllt!d on }iii/owing page) M ANGAJtN
57
Eigyo Tenteko Nisshi
.0 ll:>
~? .,..:
A. L- U +:'1
t:::. 1:
~
'?
tl
!!
58
MAN GAJIN
faJ
-r1Ft
Eigyo Tenteko Nisshi
-----------------------------------------(cominuedfrom previous page)
--------------------------------------------------
-.r .:. c
~ :-- r: •.;!.. - -lf- (/) .f. 1.: i!.!t t;t -r: ~ .Q n' o endo yt7zli no te ni wa1asu koto ga dekiru ka. end user ('s) hand into deliver can do ? " How can we send e ven one more a Iiance into the market and deliver it into the hands of the end us er?" (PL2)
• do means "how/ in what way," and yatte is the -te form of yaru, a less formal word for sum ("do''). Both do yarre and do shire mean "do ing how • how," but do shire can a lso mean "ho w come • why.'' • okuri is fro m okun1 ("send"), and -komi is a continuing form of the verb suffix -komu, which indicates the action is directed "into" something. • watasu means ''hand over to/deliver," and .. . koto ga dekiru is an expressio n meaning "can/be able to do ...
-r:
tj !v i' n'? Minamida: ~(/) - r a(J)J -:J l Anonan desu ka ? shiromono tte uhh while goods (quote) what is it/arc they? " Uhh , what are ' white ~oods '?" (PL3) FX: 1l7 '/ Cata! (a slapstick effect of s urprise/astonishment) .., 4•
-r:
¥)L Shibata: ) { 1J -\" D - ! 1H± filJ iftt -:J -cl.:> Baka yaro! de ncmnen meshi Uchi kutte-ru idiot guy/fellow our/thi:; company at how many years rice/meals eati ng " Idiot! How ma n y years has this company been feeding you?!"
. .
Shib.!!_t l_!:
Shibata:
M&T:
(PL2)
uchi literally means " inside/ within," but it 's often used to re fer to one' s own house or company. Us ing the kanji ~ H. normally read kaisha (="company'') makes it clear that he doesn' t mean " at home .'' kutte-ru is a contractio n of kutte-iru , from kuu, an informal word fo r " eat'' used most ly by males .
"'
(/) !i i% jijJ!li' ~JI: i~ ~. ra (J)J 1::: ~~~m 'lj t · (/) :.. 1::: t.: ! ! -) Shiromono to iu no wa reizoko, sentakuki. kansiJki nado no koto da! white goods (quote) say (nom.) as-for refrigerators washing machines dryers things like is about/is a maucr of " 'White goods' means things like refrigerators, was hing machines, {and) drxers!!" (PL2)
2:.. ~'L I? (/) mf n"\'1 !i 'bi:::'b i:::B v' f§l ~ iJ' Kore-ra no shohin wa moro-moro shiroi roso ga these merchandise as-for originally white paint (subj.) r; "':)It> t::. ~!if i=!Hff t..:' !! (PL2) ~ t::. 1::: :.. h sa rete-ira tokoro kara tsuita gyokai yogo da! wa~ done circumstance from auached indus1ry jargon is " It's an indus trv term that was us ed because these items were origina lly painted white!!"
n -c "'
.. .. .
lvt..:' ! ! n da! (ex plan.)
n'
to iuno wa (or just ro wa. as in the next frame) often functions just like wa (''as fo r''). kore can mean e ither "this" or " these" ; kore-ra is an unambiguous ''these.'' sa rete-ita is the past form of sa rete-iru, fro m sareru, the passive form o f suru ("do"). shiroi tosiJ ga sarete-ita is a complete tho ught/sentence ("was/were painted white") modify ing rokoro, which litera lly means ''place" but is ofte n used to mean "situation/circumstance.'' tsuita is the plain/abrupt past fo rm o f tsuku ("attach to") .
c
(j: t • -)v>-) -97.:> !! b(/) >d:- :;·~ J.:, .::.1::: iJ' !? Futari ni shitsumon sum! Mono 0 uru 10 wa do iu koto ka ? two people ques1ion do/ask thing/product (obj.) sell (quole) as-for what kind of thing/mauer ? " I ' m g oing to a sk y o u two a q uestion. As for se lli ng a produc t, what k ind of thing is it?" - • " L e t me ask vou s omething!! What do vou think sellin~ a product e ntails?!" (PL2)
= A(: 1H'"'~
~ ") !? £!'!
"Huh?!" (PL2) Shibata:
-)1:, (j: ~~T I:J JT. t '(> Uchi IVC/ Matsushita Hitachi ja ne this co. as-for (name) (na me) is not
tu. 1v t..:·
J: o
nda yo. (explan.) (cmph.)
l.'(> ·f3 t JT: htjv' -i'' !! (PL2) Kanban ja iclzidai 1110 urenai zo! sign/nameplate by one machine even can' t sell (emph.) " This c ompa n y is n ' t Mats us hita or Hitachi. You won't sell a single aooliance on our name!!"
;"Q·t&
..
ja is a contraction of d e ll'a and ne is a rather rough-sounding masculine corruption o f the negative nai . urenai is the negati ve form o f urem , the potential "can/able to" form o f uru ("sell").
( COlliIll lied 011 fol/owlllg page) M ANGAJ I N
59
Eigyi5 Tenteko Nisshi
60
MAN GAJIN
Eigyo Tenteko Nisshi
ti tt
Shibata: - · rJt
.;{_ 1.> o
~
{>
~ o
(J)
~ 1.> t ti :. -? 1':> (!) um ro wo korchi JW
lchido dake oshieru.
Mono
one time only
thing(s) (obj.) sell
te ll/teach
as-for
("~)
this side
tl10C J.J.
seii
~ o
sincerity (obj.)
/1.. 1.> lv t.!. o 11m ~ell
11
da.
(explan. )
" l ' l!!ell ou this just once. To sell ~roduct is to sell our/your own sincerity." (PL2) Shibata : 11; 1~/FP. ~ iJt;ifiH~ ~ :/~ 1.> C: .f!:.'.-? 1&:!! Rei:oko
va semak11ki
o
11ru
ro
refrigerator ~nd " ashing machine (obj.) ~ell
omou 11l1!
(quote) 1hink
don't (abrupt neg. comm.)
" Don ' t think you are sellingrefrigeratorLand washing machines!!" (PL2) M&T: li~?
• kotchi (informal form of kochira. " this side/direction") is used to mean "we/our side:· • Ha is a rather tentative sounding lwi ("yes/okay").
Hii?
"Ye-e-s?" (PL2) Shibata:
fl 7}
~
'fl-. 1.> lv t.!. o
Jibtm
o
uru
Shibata:
r· /
Sound FX:
n da.
Doll
onc<,elf (obj.) sell (emph.) "SeJLyourselve~" (PL2)
Thump (effect of pounding his chest)
lll.i ·/1:.16 Ha11bai-te11 no Papaya Mama ten·;, 11i ret:til shop
('s) Pop and Mom
t
11 7} jibtm
~,.,-? to iu
one~elf
called
(a~)
Artll
clerk
~ o
11inge11
to
r :1 r ;_, tokoton
human being (obj.) to the fini'h
'fi:.IJ :. ~v-r:::.v' !! 11rikonde koi! go and sell/make sales pitch
"Go sell the person called/who is yourself to the Moms and Pops and clerks of the retail shops." • "Go seiLYour ~rsonality to the Moms and P~ a nd clerks of the retail s hops!!" (PL2)
M&T: lilt' !! Hoi!
" YeLSir!!" (PL2) • 11riko11de is the -te form of 11riko11111, which refers to actively "pitching/trying to make a sale:· • koi is the abrupt command form of kuru ("come"). Kuru after the -te form of a verb literally means "do and come," but it's often used when Engl ish speakers would say "go do .. : ·
Shibata :
0H
(!)
b lffi rl'h
1'; 1ilf
Kaislw 110 namoe
1110
shohin
mo sore kara
ja nakya
company ('s) name
and
product~
and after 1hat
if it is not
.m ku
11i
i\/are
tarwr 110 da.
u~elcss
(explan.)
" If the company's name and products are not after that. they are useless." • "The company's name a ndproduqs aren' t anYJ!_Se until after that." (PL2) • raum is an informal. male version of wrmwi, from the verb tatsu: yak11ni rats11 ="be useful/be of service."
Shibata: h 1J'-? t.:. n'! ! Wakaua
M & T : ti lilt' !!
ka ?!
Ha Hai!
?
understood
" Under land? !" (PL2)
" Y-Yes Sir.U" ( PL3)
Shibata: ~ I~ Kakuji
tallliJ-ten
11i aisatsll-llllnvari da.
each person assigned stores to greeti ng-rounds is/arc " Each of yQ!!, make th~ounds of your assigned
shops and introduce yourselves." (PL2)
FX: -J-7' -J-7' Nade node (effect of
~troking/patting)
• ai.\'(I{SII refers to a wide variety of greetings/formalities, and 11/0II'Ori is the noun form of mawam ("make a circuit/go around"). so oistas11-mowori is a noun meaning "rounds for the purpose or greeting."
-r
Shibata: -fh-f~L 25'1 !1: Sore:ore each one
~
v'
nijiiRoken
"? 0 :utSII.
twent) -live shop' each
~ -::>[g)
IJ
'i•
Ai:.rus11-mau·ari-
chii
greeting-round~
. .ilM rJJ -r:: T1-li'l:>o lsshiikan de SIIIIIOSerO. one
'\:~-?lb de (/lie 1110
du ring even if it is
wee~
in
fini~h
t' /..., C:'lv ¥£)( don-don
~
chiimmr o
rapidly/Meadily order
!&flo tore.
(obj) take
"Each of ~u (h a~ 25 shops each. Finish _illlem) in one week. Even if the rounds are for int roductions go a head and take lots of orders.!..." (PL2) • mmasem i' a command form of suma.~eru ("complete/finish [something)") ( co11tinued on fo/loll'illf/ page J M ANGAJIN
61
Eigyo Tenteko Nisshi
*-=~ IJ
t::
62
MANGAJ I N
~
Eigyo Tenteko Nisshi (continued from prt!••ious page)
~ JI!IJ meishi
Shiba ta : .::. tL iJf Kore ga this
t!. o da.
FX: ;f, 1
(subj.) business cards is/arc
"These a.r_e_your business cards." (PL2)
[ill
Business Card :
'r~· ~ ~~~~
m:::: il*
Eigyo-bu Dai-san-ka
Sales Deoartment Section Three
Poi (effect of tossi ng something small)
JY;i III
3 - UJJ
Minamida
Yr1su/..e
Minamida Yiisuke
ooiR
ooarr
m,;?i
~i ifii.ffi~ .f*j\f1U ~.r J;( $ ~T ~;;~ Toa Denki Kabushiki-Gaisha Tokyo-to maru-maru-ktt maru-maru-clto roku-chome Denll'a . ..
loa Electric Inc. XX-chii 6-chome, Minamida:
~
T
XX-ku~
Tokyo Telephone ...
i){
Sasuga
Eigyo da nli.
as might expect S;lles
Kaojashi11-iri da.
is. isn't it
portrait-included is
"That's the sales division for you. It has a portrait photo." (PL2) • kaojashin is a combination of "face" and "photo" (shashin becomes -jashin for euphony).
Kore ga thi~
q)
1't ii¥
mise no
meibo
16
Shibata: .::. tL iJ{
(subj.) shops of
ro~ter/namc
to li!>t and
tonai
no chi::.u.
metropolitan area of
map
" Here's a list of your shops and a map of Tokyo." ( PL2) Sound FX:
~·-IT
·;;
Dosa
Thud (effect of something fairly heavy falling or landing) • the particle 10 is used for "and" only between two nouns or noun clauses, not when joining the two parts of a compound sentence.
(B
Shibata:
x.iffii?
li
*1~
t: '-'-:>'l{J.Hl,v' t!.o
KoTsii-hi
ll'a
keiri
m we
tran~ponation expenses a~- for
karibarai da.
accouming to go (and) advance
i'-'arc
" For our transJ!ortation expenses._gQjo accounting and get an advance." (PL2) • -hi can be added 10 various words to mean "costs/expenses/fcc~ of-:· • karibarai is a noun combining " temporary" and "payment" and referring to giving or receiving an advance. As with ais(lfsu-mawari. above, following an action noun with da serves essentially as a command.
Shibata : ~~ Solo
kara no
outside/away
from
renraku
o
\\'aSitrent
contact/communication (obj.) forget
IICI.
don't
" Don' t forget to keep in touch/r~ort back {by phone) while ou ' re out!" (PL2) Shibata: ID I?~'-'.::. t li '•11m~ l..'l eo It!! Shira11ai
koto
1\'0
demm shite
kike!
don't kno" things as-for call/phone-and a\k
tH'£
(!)
tt JJ shikata
t: -t~ .Q i \:" 11i iwru made
how to do even
>O
far a~
*!L -I;IJ -c ", b. "-t:
.~hinsetsu
teinei-ni
kindly & thoroughly
-c
~ .Z -? .Q ! ! oshie1e \'artt! will tc:~ch you
(PL2) Ko shiro! I
~ lj I\:" Toc/111 de
~ II-? f.:: I•) T .Q lv C. ~ b. .Z -f'!! sabottari sum 11 jane -;.o!
do thi' way I
midway
things like loafing
.::. -? L. 1::1!!
Shibata: li sl1iro! I do thai way
I
don't do
" Do that! Do this! No loafing a lon the wa !" (PL2) Shibata: MUL.t.::l? :ffl.;';-.t:: (J) f'f-IOC! ! -::>eo-f'-' li Kislw shiwra
lu1ko/..11slw 110 sakusei! Tsukisoi
when return to office rcpon
of
ll'a
(emph.)
~ L !! 11ashi!
writing up attendant/e\con a\-for none
" When you get back to the office.. write u a report. ( You'll have no escort •) You're on your own!" (PL2) • sltinse1su( -ni) ("in a kind/generous/obliging manner' ') and teinei-ni ("courteously/carefully/thoroughly") are both bei ng used as adverb~. The first -11i is often dropped when two adverbs are spoken in sequence. (continued on folloll'inx Jilllie I M ANGAJIN
63
Eigyo Tenteko Nisshi
64
MAN G A J IN
Eigyo Tenteko Nisshi (continuetl from prel'ious {Jage)
• sabouari is from .wboru ("loaf/neglect work/play hooky''); the -tori form of a verb is followed by sum ("do") to make an expression meaning "do things l ike -:· • kisha shitara is a conditional "if/when" form of kisha suru ("return to the company/office"). • sakusei surtt means "write out/draw up (a document)": here. its noun form is being u~ed as a command.
Shibata: ;b iJ'-::> t::. lj:!! Wakaua
na!
understood
right?/isn't it?
"You understand, don't you?" • "Understand?!" (PL2) FX: il- / Ga-n (effect of head spinning. as if from a heavy blow)
t!. .. .
Minamida: Knr)'a
taihen
Terashima : i -::> t:.
da . ..
thi~ ·a~-for terriblc/~erious problem is/are
Mauaku.
"This is terrible ... ·· • " Man are we in trouble!" (PL2)
entirely/indeed
" ReaJiy." (PL2)
• knrya is a contraction of knre wa ("as for this Isituation 1").
Demo but
wmt~akva
ir don't do
Terashima : i -::> t::.
...
<
Mauaku.
" But we have to do it ..." (PL2)
" Rca!!y_,_.." (PL2)
• yamwkya is a contraction of yaranakereba, and implies yaranakereba ikenai. ''if 1/we don't do it, it's no good/it won't do" • "1/we must do it:·
Wakauara
kakuji
if underMand
each one assigned 'hops to
tallti)·ten
ni aisatsu-mawari da! grceting~-rounds
tslare
" If )'9U under tand then be off on vour rounds to our assigned shops!" (PL2) M
&_I:
(;l:lt'!! Hai!
" Yes Sir!" (PL3) • wakauara is a conditional "if/when" form of ll'akaru ("come to know/understand").
~
Sound FX: ~· T / Doten
(effect of something relatively heavy falling/toppling over)
Mina mida: ih -::> A!
" Yikes!"
Charin
Minamida:
clrarin
chari11
clwrin
(ringing/clinking sound of coins striking floor)
it? -::> A!
"Oh, no!" Minamida:
i·lt J :E i·rLE JL7en-dama lt7en-dama ten yen coins ten yen coin<
"My ten yen coins. my ten yen coins . . . .. • " My phone mone.l'.t...!rly phone money . . ." (PL2) • when Minamida said farewell to his former colleagues in the General Affairs Department. they gave him a box ful l of ten yen coins because they knew he would have to be making a lot of calls back to the office.
G:Q
Sound FX: ;( / Zw1 (effect of bos~ stepping forward firmly: ::.un-::.un repre~ents the effect of something progre~~ing/ changing noticeably. and a single zwt represents a momentary/single change or progression.)
(continued 1111 folloll'ing paxe)
M ANGAJIN
65
Eigyo Tenteko Nisshi
66
MANGAJIN
Eigyi5 Tenteko Nisshi
- ----"-'--
( colllitwed from pre1•io11.f filii/ I')
S hibata:
S ig n o n Roof:
~ t..:. ~ t..:. -to~!! Mow-mora Sllfll Ill/! be slow/dawdle don't " Do n' t d a wd le/fool a ro und" • "S~ to it!" ( PL2)
*'m Hi~ Toa Denki loa E lectric
Sound FX:
l!.:z.Pyti
Minamida: ---
. FX:
(effect of whiMiing wind)
-If 7Sabu-
Sound FX:
-;r Jv -;r Jv Buru buru
cold " It 's cold." • " Brrrr."
(effect of shivering from the cold)
.wbu- is a short form of sabui. which is an alternate form of samui ("cold" when referring to ambient ternperature). Both salm- and S{ll/111- are used like English speakers would use "Brrrr...
7'1
'/
Gui.l (effect o f lifting his head a nd s tra ig hte ning his s ho ulde rs w ith de te rmina tio n ) Mina mida :
. .
~
Minamida:
Driver:
c
<
pttt7:> 1: "IJ> ~ t..:. ? "( t!!! -'\-'.0 ? ~~~"' !! Tonikaku ataile kudakem da! Yaru U.mnai.' in any ca>e hitlcra'h into-and crumble/be !.mashed is/arc do ~~ ihc onl) option "At any ra te, it's s trike a nd be smashed. A lii can do is do it." • " At any r ate, I'll throw m yself into it and sec what h~pens. All I can do is fo r ge ahead!" (PL2) maue kudakero is an expression used when about to do something you don't think you can do. implying you will face/hirltackle the challenge head-on even at risk of being thrown back and smashed to piece~. yamkkya nai is a contraction of yaru shika nai. from yaru ("do") and shika nai ("only/nothing but"). and means "doing it/proceeding/forging ahead is my only option."
v '/
"J : t - ! ! Reusu giJ! let·~ go " He r e I_&Q_!_" ( PL2)
1"-
• reusu gli is from the English "let's go:· but in Japanese it can be used by an individual with a meaning more like " Here I go!/Here I come!II' m off!"
t
o - 11 .~u : rJ' t! L -'\-' 1.1'? 'l? 1 Blir{j! Kyl7ni 10bidcuhi yagaue?! idiot suddenl y jump out (dcrog.) " Idiot ! (What d'ya think you're doin') suddenly j u mping out (like that)!?" • " You idiot, wa tc h where yo u ' re goi.ngl" (PL I)
S ound FX: .:f .:f .:f '/ Ki ki ki! (squeal of brakes) Minamida:
b ? IVa.'
(expression of
~urprise)
• robidashiyagane is the verb 10bida.1·u (''j ump o ut") with the derogatory suffix verb -yagam added (in the-re form here. implying a continuation).
Na rration : 11=:~ l~~ i&: ~SL ... .:..:. i"C' (;tl(f ~t.,· L"IJ'~'-'' o Kigyii sensen nami rakashi. Koko made kureba s u S/111111 shika nai. indmo~ry baulc line waves high here as far as if/when come go forward is only opt ion Along the indus trial battle lines, the waves are rougb_._._. Having come this fa r, a ll he can do is pus h a head. ( PL2) Narratio n : 3 -lt)J IJ. )( k. X=~ Q) t.!. 0 7 11'? Yii.mke wa daiji'ibu 11a no darii ka? (name) as-for all right (explan.) [II wonder if? Will Yos uke be a ll rig ht? (P L2)
• rakashi is the classical form of the adjective wkai ("high/tall"). and gives this narration a "literary'' feel. • kureba is a conditional "if/when" fo rm of kuru ("come"). • darfi ka is a PL2 equi\alent of deshli ka. "is it perhaps/1 wonder if'?"
M ANGAJIN
67
Part Ill
(continued from
MANGAJIN
No. 18)
!:: IJ
-~
The Phoenix In
the
by
.:f.:!:* is ffi
Tezuka Osamu
last episode
Akanemaru, a talented young sculptor in 8th-century Japan, has been commanded to carve an image of the phoenix. He begs Imperial official Kibi no Makibi to let him go to China to see the real phoenix; instead, he receives permissio n to e nter Shoso- in, a storehouse o f art treasures donated by the Imperial household to Todai- ji temple in Nara. In the Shoso- in Akanemaru finds a painting of the phoenix. He is overcome with wonder and is convinced that he will see the bird before he dies. The next thing we know, he is aboard a ship bound for China, but he is swept overboard and sinks into the sea.
When he regains consciousness, he finds himself in the body of a lowly microorganism. " What have I done to deserve this?" he asks, horrified. It's not a punishment, explains an all-knowing voice. It's just part of the cycle o f death a nd rebirth. Akanemaru vehemently objects, but his protests end when he's swallowed by a fish.
He is reborn as a turtle . No longer remembering or caring that he was once human, Akanemaru just lives out a tranquil life as a turtle in the mo uth of the Yangtze Ri ver until he is caught and killed by fishermen.
Next Akanemaru appears as a newly-hatched bird, and as this episode begins, his mother takes him to meet the phoenix.
The Phoenix © Tczu ka Productions . English trans lation rights arranged through Tezuka Prod uctions. MANGAJ IN
69
'}(q)r! ..•v • Tile Phoemx .
70 M ANGAJIN
Y< V? .!% • The Phoenix
~
Mother Bird:
* r7
Ho
-/){
ih f' .:. 1.: o
ga
asoko
ni.
phoenix (subj.) there
at
"There's the hoenix." (PL2) • asoko is used to refer to a place that is separated from both the speaker and the listener. The place where the listener is (or a place close to him/her) would be soko ("there"), and the place where the speaker is (or a place close to him/her) would be koko ("here''). • since ni is a particle for marking the place where something " is/exists," the implied ending of the sentence is some form of iru ("is/exists"- for animate things).
Mother Bird: A, & Kondo this time/recently
warashi ni 1/me
to
umarera born
kodomo-rachi desu. chi ldren
arc
"These are the c hildren born to me recently." -> "This is m latest brood of children." (PL3)
• kondo is literally "this time/occasion," but it can variously mean "recently," "now," or "soon/ next time," depending on the context. • umareta is the plain/abrupt past form of umareru ("be born"). Kondo watashi ni umareta is a complete thought/sentence ("were born to me recently/this time") modifying kodomo-rachi ("children"). • kodomo by itself can be either "child" or "children," but adding -tachi makes it unambiguously plural.
0
Sound FX: !:::" / Pi/
Chirp (another FX for a bird's chirp, especially a baby bird)
Computer • Corner (continued from page 23)
fonts. In addition, due to design shortcomings in the TrueType Installer script, the Installer fails to install the updated KanjiT alk system extension and the font cache settings fi le, both of which are required for proper operation. I have reported this to the proper channels, but I cannot predict how soon a revised Installer will be released. The Kanji TrueT ype package is priced at $150 for two typefaces, while ATM-J is priced at $295 for the ATM system extension software and two kanji
PostScript typefaces. For the indi vidual or small business user who antic ipates printing only small quantities of Japanese, TrueT ype is probably a better value. Some users may find they prefer the appearance of the AT M fonts and decide they don't mind the copy protection and the longer wait for printout. Service bureaus or businesses that expect to print large quantities of J apanese might want to have these fonts available, but they will likely find it more economical in the long run to buy an NTX-J printer, de-
spite the cost. Kanji TrueT ype and ATM-J are both avai lable from Apple's a uthorized KanjiTalk dealer network in North America. (MANGAJIN & I would like ro rhank Andy Taylor of Japan Pacific Publica lions, In c., in Sealllefor his help in supply ing rhe NTXJ prilller benchmarks for rhis review. -D.S.)
Daryl Shadrick operates a consulumcy, Japan Now, Inc. (Tel. 8/2-336-5688;fax812336-8917).
M ANGAJIN
71
:k <1) .~ • The Phoenix
A -c.. t; ::.: 17 HIJ L ,, h / t.:.' t.:. ~ (7) (7)
-t:."!PJ:>.:. :h l• (7) ;_,
(7)
?l•"(il!!¥ IJJ ~ l' J:. ;_, ~~; ~ ~
"'f·
~-
J:
*
:/) (7)
~
~-
(j:
J:
(7)
-'")
t.:. .f '!:. -) i..
'?
"(
~·
*L
~j;;t;" ;f;
'?
"( t~
l.f ? ?
J:O)
c
~"(j;;f;
~ "(
I I!?
'? ~
c A. l;t
72
MAN GAJIN
L -' 1
i>'
~
A. C" l.f '? ~
"/)• A. f
.::? ::"'";..-
":.J
-
~
* Omae no koro
• The Phoenix
shiue-imam.
about you
as-for
~i.Ztt Omae wa
1:. i tl .0 i .Z :lit ?I
you
Baby Bird:
wa
0) .r.~
(I ) know
umc1reru
as- for be born
mae
Choko
before
Yangtze of
no oki-na large
kame deshita
ro.
turtle
(emph)
was
"I know all about ou. You were a large turtle in the Yangtze before you were born." (PL3) iJ .7- ? -r 7j: - 1: Kame 1/e turtle
na- ni
(quote) what (is it?)
" What's a turtle?" (PL2) i~ a relati vely rough word for "you" used mostly by males. but when it is. used by females it is usually a term of endearment- for children. dogs. or (one's own) husband. • omae no koto is literally "things of you" • "about you." • shiue-imasu is the PL3 form of shiue-iru ("know" ) from shin1 (''learn/come to know"). • mae connects directly to the dictionary form of a verb to mean ''before (the action/event)"; it connects to nouns in the form 110 mae, meaning either "before" or ''in front of." See next frame.
• omae
t
(J) i .Z I± :::: J.;. (J) J: -? 7j: 'S '-'' ~ 7j: ~ ~ (J) 1: L t..: o Kame no mae wa gomi no yo JW chiisa-11a ikimo11o deshita.
Phoenix: iJ J.
before turtle
a~-for
Sono mae ••·a
dustlike
small
ningen
tl. "? t..:
(J)
daua
no
creature
was/were
yo.
before that as-for human being wa;,/werc (ex plan) (emph)
" Before the turtle you were a tiny, dustlike creature. Before that you were a human." (PL3; PL2)
Mother Bird: ::::.. / 'T / Ningen
?
"l J? (J) it!!.
1/e
ano
r. t
chijo o
hum•m being (quote) that
aruire-iru
on ground/land wa lk!>
koll'ai
dobursu desu no?
~cary
animal
blare (?)
" When ou say human being, do vou mean that scary animal that walks on land?" (PL3) • gomi in this case means "dust." referring to something small. but it also refers to " garbage" in general. • ending a sentence with the explanatory no plus yo is mostly feminine. • aruire-iru is from aruku ("walk"). ChijiJ o aruite-iru is a complete thought/sentence ("walks on land") modifying dobmsu. Ano ("that") and kowai ("scary") also modify dobursu as separate. parallel modifiers. • asking a question with desu no is typically feminine speech.
Mother Bird: ~ ~ D
'-''~fl.
.:. (J) f
il'
-f lv 7j:
f)J ~
iya da
Kono ko
ga
smma
diJblllsu datta
(exclam.) is disagreeable this
child (subj.) that kind o f an im;tl
~
t!. ? t..:
lv -r .. .
nallle .. .
was
(quote)
" How terrible! The very idea that this child was (ever:) a beast like that ... !" (PL2) FX: .:¥' .:L
·:1
Cyu! (effect of tight squeeze/hug) • nall/e implies that the preceding statement is ridi culous/out of the question • 'The very idea that .. .''
0
Bab Bird:
* ? ~ li ~ lv
Ho-obasan
;¥ 7 l::: ? iJ' boku dokka
Phoenix-aunt
lime
1: ~ !i ~ lv (J).:. de obasan no koto
somewhere at
c ~ ? -r t..: J:
about aunt/you
0
shiue-ta
yo.
knew
(cmph.)
" Aunt Phoenix, I knew you from somewhere." (PL2) • obasan ("aunt/auntie") can be used to refer to any woman once she is past her mid-twenties (roughly). Using it right after a name is like saying "Aunt - ."
• dokka is a contraction of doko ka ("where·· plus the question marker ka) • "somewhere." • shiue-ta is a contraction of shiue-ita. the plain/abrupt past form of shille-iru ("know").
01
Phoenix: -f -? ?
so
" Reali ?" (PL2)
~~==B=a=b==B=ir=d=:=f~-=?~c=f~-==?=C~~~ij==~~.=~i~-=~=/v~t==~~~t.=..:=<=?==-r==t.=..:~i=~==~=--n=,=?=t.=..:=/v==~=.o========~ Ziitto
::.iitto
mae
long
long
before aunt/you
obasan
o
mi-takutte
ramaranakatta
(obj.) want to sec/meet couldn't bear
n da. (explan.)
" A long long time ago, I wanted to meet ou so much I could hardjutand it." (PL2) (continued
011
• :.utto emphasizes length~ of time, like " long (ago)/far ( in the future)." Making the first vowel long adds follo..-ing page} MAN GAJ IN
73
')((f) X~
74
MANGAJIN
• The Phoenix
-J
.n • The Phoenix
(COillillued from prel'ious page)
even more emphasis. as does repeating it. • mi-takllle is the -te form of mi-tai. the "want to" form of miru ("see/meet''). Pronouncing it mitakutte. with a smalltsu, emphasizes the intensity of the desire. • tamaranakatta is the past form of tamaranai ("be unbearable/unendurable"}, from the verb wmaru.
Phoenix: .of h Lt ~ 7d:: t:. Sore wa a nata that
as-for you
11~
A/llJ t.!. ? t:. .:. 0 . . .
ga
ningen datta
(subj.) human
"'\,\X. .:. lv 7d:: ;m
(j:
fie
konna
no
this kind of talk
koro ...
were
when
L- J: -? 11f ~ \,' b b
l-"lb
hanashi 11'0 shite mo sho ga nai
0
wane.
as- for even if do is of no use
(fcm.-colloq. )
"That was when you were a human. (But) no there's no point in going on about that." (PL2) • koro (or goro) most often means "about/approximately" when referring to time, but in referring to the distant past it can mean "the period when ..... • Jhite is the -te form of sum (''do/make"). The particle mo after the -te form of a verb makes an expression meaning "even if (1/you) do." • sho ga nai is a variation of shikata ga nai, " it's no use/there's no poi nt." . .. -te mo sho ga nai is literally " it's no use even if you do..... • " it's no use to do/there's no point in doing ..."
@]
Baby Bird:
* '7 .t3 'f ~A.. I±
Ho-obasan
f- ? t 1:. ~ "[ "' ~
11•a ;:.i/tto
Phoenix-aunt
ikite-iru
as-for long time
(J)?
no?
ha\e been living (?)
" Have you been living all along Aunt Phoenix?" (PL2) • ;:.utto here implies not merely "a long time" but ''all the time since I was a human being" • "all along." • ikite-iru is the continuing action form ("is/are - ing'') of ikiru. which means "live" in the sense of "being alive/existing."
~
(j: ?E?d::~~t'(J) o
Phoenix: -f-?J: o ;f.!So yo.
Watashi wa shinanai
i> so
1/me
as-for not die
t L-9E!v"('t i'
<·
Moshi shinde mo m gu
110.
(explan.)
1:. ~ 11' X.~
(J) o
iki-kaeru
110.
immediately come back to life (ex plan.)
even if ( I) die
" That's right. I don't die. (Or) even if I die, I come right back to life." ( PL2) Phoenix: t! 11' ~ .t3 i X. 'b .t3 i X. (J) .t3 11' ih ~ lv (J) .=.t 'b Dakara omae
mo
so
also your
you
1:. i :tt J.:. WI umareru be born
mae
omae no
-IJ' ~ J:
okiisa11
110
mother
of
< l., -? -r "' J.:,
kara roku shitte-iru
koto
mo
things/fact~
{/)
J:
110
vo.
abo
before from .well know/have known (explan.) (~mph.)
"So 1 have known from before ou were born all about both you and our mother." (PL2)
• so yo • • • • • •
is an equivalent of .wl da used mostl y by women, though it can also occur in male speech without sounding especially feminine. shinanai is the negative form. and shinde is the -te form, of shimt (''die''), . moshi i s always followed by one of the conditional forms ("if') - in this case the-re form of sfrinu plus mo. which makes " even if I die." iki-kaeru. from ikiru ("live")+ kaeru (''return''). means "return/come back to life." . . . mo . .. mo means "both ... and ..... koto means "things" in the abstract sense. and ... 110 koto means "things about ..... • omae 110 okiisanno koto ="things about your mother." or just "about your mother." yoku ("well") is the adverb form of the adjective iilyoi ("good/tine"). so yoku shille-iru means "know well'' • " know all about .. : ·
Jii
ningen
the n
tte
dobutsu
no
koto
mo?
human bcing(s) (quote) anirnal(s) of things/fact> also
" Then you know all about the animals called ' humans,' too?" (PL2) Phoenix: .fL 11{ -ff 11=. ~ i' J.> JJ t.!. ? "l A rJi 11~ L. -::l "l "' "l \Vatasfri ga I
11aga-iki suru tori da
(subj.) live long
lie
11i11ge11
ga
shiue-ire . ..
bird i'/am (quote) human beings (>ubj.) know-and
' 'The humans know that I am a bird that lives long, and ..." (PL2) • the baby bird uses tte as a contraction of ro iu, here meaning "called." while the phoenix uses it as a contraction of ro iu koto o. which is an expression meaning "the fact that ..... • shitte-ite is the ·te form of shitte-iru ("know''); it functions like "and.'' indicating that the sentence is not complete and will continue. (conrinued 011 Jollowi11g page) M ANGAJIN
75
*()) • .~
76
M ANGAJ I N
The Phoenix
'k Q) -~ • The Phoenix ~
Phoenix: "ft.(})
>a:-
t: iJ' "\ t:..
*"'e,.;"
0
Wawshi 110 sugata
11i
kairari
f)
~~-:> t:.. lwuari
i'J L-r shire
form/image (obj.) picture in paim-andlor carve-and/or do-and
my
Phoenix: iJ' ~· ? t:.. I) kazauari
:fJT? t..: I') inouari
L"'Cv'~ shite-iru
(}) 110
lo yo.
decorate-and/or pray-and/or have done/arc doing (e,plan.) (emph.)
" . .. the aint my_ ima_ge in pictures a nd scul~andl!!.tl_put it on dis.Piay and pray_ to i_V' (PL2) • no after a name or personal pronoun most often indicates possession, so warashi 110 = "my/mine."' • shire is the -re form of sum ('"do''). and shire-im can refer either to an action in progress ('"is/arc doing") or the result of an action ('"have done"). • . . . -wri . . . -rari suru is an expression meaning "do things like ... and/or .. :· kaitari is from kaku ("paint/ draw"). houari is from horu ("carve/sculpt"'). ka:.auari is from kawru ("display/decorate"), and i11o11ari is from i11oru ("'pray").
Sii nO'-'
warashi o 1/me
jiuo
frJ,. (J) if: Wauuhi no sugara my
mire goran
(obj.) imently/carefully lool.. (polite command)
~ o
<
J: H(~,Z lHH~ o yoku oboere o-oki.
form/image (obj.) "'ell
remember for future
" ow take a good look at this form of mine. Remember my image well."
_. "Now take_a good look at me, a nd etch my image in our memory." (PL3) • sii is often used like "well now/all right/come on'' to prepare oneself for action or to urge the listener to action. • jillo is an adverb meaning ··in a fixed/still manner" and mire is the -le form of miru ('"look/see"). soji11o mire means "look fixedly/intently/carefully." • gora11 is short for gora11-nasai. a gentle command form of gora11ni naru, which is an honorific expression for miru. When goran (-nasai) follows the-re form of a verb it makes a polite-sounding command. o matter how polite. though. it's still a command. so it's appropriate only when speaking to persons of lower status than oneself. • 110 is used when one noun modifies another. When the first noun is a name or personal pronoun, it general ly indicates possession: ll'atashi no (sugara) ="my (form)/(this form) of mine... • oboere is the -le form of oboeru ("learn/commit 10 memory"). • o-oki is the honorific prefix o- plus the stem of the verb oku ("set down/place/keep"). which together make another polite command (the same restriction applies as for goran). When oku follows the-re form of a verb it makes an expression meaning "do beforehand/do for some future purpose." or. when no specific purpose has been mentioned. "do it now because now is (your) chance:·
Phoenix:
~il?!!
Jt .0
(J)
J: ...
Miru
110
w. . . Sa!
look
(cxplan.) (cmph.) come now
" Look a t me. Come on, now." ( PL2) • the various forms of explanatory 110 (da/desulyo) can be used to give commands if said with the appropriate tone and force. In ~uch cases yo provides a gentle/friendly kind of empha<,i~ that actually "soften~-- the command rather than making it ~ound more authoritarian. This is primarily used in feminine speech.
M ANGAJIN
77
')
M ANGAJ I N
79
:k Q) .~ • The Phoenix
I? l ~ l·A.ll'ft t::: (J) l ' l li (: t, ;t ? J) li
: :
~
-=> t :: t:: t::
t:l ~
~
1r.
~ l'
-r L iW l;t
t:t
~ ~ El ;b• -:> .q ~ (J) ~1.
l ' !: "'
c : * 'Y l' f.t.;·l: il~ :\'-:>
:
~
t
*'· 1)
-r.t.t"'fJ! < < t:: t:: tt .~ ! t::
80
MAN GAJIN
1)\
')((f) J~
• The Phoenix
~~L--~--k-an_e_m--ar_u_= '_'_/----------------------------------------------------------------~ Ha!
"Huh?" __
Akanemaru: ~
t!. ? t:.
(J)
iJ' ... ?
Yume daua
no
ka?
dream wa\
(explan.)(?)
" So it was a dream?'' (PL2) A_kanemaru: -f
1 t!. o
Sii da.
.::. .::. (j: Koko u·a
;, so
he re
a~- for
.JE :(J llJf
(J)
t!.
l'j=l
?Ito kJ..e.
Shosii-in no naka da Shoso-i n
o f inside ;,/was (recollection)
"That's right. Here is inside the Shoso-in, if I recall correctly."--> "That's right, I was inside the Sboso-in." (PL2)
7t.:.t.:.b.$: L.l'L. i ?t.:. l?l.i,' o li/v(J)
Akanema ru : ~:hli Ore
wa
utarane
lime
as-for dozing
o
shite shimatta
rashii.
(obj.) did inadvertently
it
Hon-no
seem~
mere/slight
't:,.t?l::(J) 'J?i,,f.!_ 1: .. chotto no aida ni . . . bit
of
.
timespan in
" I must have inadvertently dozed off. In a ''er s hort time .. . " (PL2) • when speaking to oneself. sii da is used to express a sudden understanding/realization ("Oh. yeah"). • da kke at the end of a sentence means the speaker is thinking back and trying to recall something. • tllawlle refers to a "nap" one drifts into unintentionally: utatane o suru mean~ "doze off." • shite is the -te form of suru ("do") and shimaua is the plain/abrupt past form of shimtm ("finish/end/close"). shimau/shimatta after the -te form of a verb often implies not only that the action wa\ completed but that it was unintended/inadvertent or even regrettable. • ho11-11o is used with words implyi ng small amounts/numbers/degrees/sizes to mean "a mere - /the merest -." • aida refer\ to the di~tance between two points. either in space or time - in thi s case the latter.
~
Akanemaru: 9t lv I: 1 1:_ i shi11de
~'L iJ' ~'?? "l i t.:. 91: lv 1: ~ i :h iJ' h ? "(
umare-kall'atte
died-and "as reborn-and
maw shi11de
umare-kclll·aue
again
wa~
died-and
reborn-and
" I died and was reborn,and I died and was re born agail!,__,__,_," ( PL2) -f L. l ~,..,-::> r~ ~:. i ~'L -r . . . -J( (J) r~ 1: "'(' -J? ? t:. lv t!.
?
soshite
itsuka
tori ni umarete
kke.
and then
one day
bird
n'
(:
a~
hi 110 tori
"ao; born-and
11i
bird of lire/phoenix with
deatta
11
met
da
tt 0
(ex plan.) (recollection )
" and then one daY- I was born as a bird and met the phoenix." ( PL2) • shi11de is the -te form of shimt ('"die") and umare-kawatte is the -te form of umare-kawam ("'be reborn [in a different form)"). Umarete is the -te form of umareru (''be born"). Deaua {the plain/abrupt past form of deau. "meet/come upon [by chance/coincidentally]") at the end turns all of these -te forms into pa~t tense. • hi no tori (li terally. "bi rd of fire") is another name for /uJii("phoenix"), coming from the legend that it glows in the dark and gives off fire when angered.
Ore
*
1/rne
wn hakkiri a~- for
clearly
1:
hi 11i moeta
mira
Me no mae
saw
before my eyes grand and
.n n{ to ri ga
~i~?
11i
l . . . .fL
talfe
burning in llmnes bird (subj) stood-and
yt7dai de kiJguslrii
$::
watashi o lime
awe-in~piringlgodly
J:
<
yoku
.R. Jd:
~ ~,..,
mi-11asai
(obj.) well/care fully look at
t to
~..,?
-r
0
ilfe kureta.
(quote) said to/for me
" I saw (her) clearly. Right before m ey_es stood a grand awe-inspirin bird enveloped in names, and (she) graciously said ' Look at me carefull ' ." (PL2) J;;tiX. "(1,\J., i'o ;J;J (/) fu . trfi, ;k. .::. i n'\t' c.::. 0 i 1: .f· !: c J., .t "'> t.:.') Oboete-iru w. Hc111e 110 iro. kao. sugata, komakai tokoro made te ni toru wJ da! remember
(emph.)fealher(s) of color face form/figure detailed
" I remember it! The color of her feathers_. her thing held in m hand." (PL2)
fac~
places
as far as hand in take
as if
is
her form the tiniest detail is like some-
• mita is the plain/abrupt past form of mim ("look at/see").
• :.o is an emphatic particle with a rough. masculine sound. • yiidai de J..iigiishii ("grand and awe-inspiring") and hi ni moew ("burning in names/fire") both modify tori ("bird") as parallel modifiers. Moeta is the past form of moeru ["burn"], so it looks like "burned," but the past form can sometimes be used to describe an ongoing condition • "burning." • tatte is the -te form of tatsu ("stand"); the end of the sentence makes it past tense. • ilfe is the -te fom1 of iu ("say''). and kurew i the plain/abrupt past form of kureru ("give (to me]"). kurew after the -te form of a verb means "did for me:· often implying one sees it as a special favor • "wa~ so kind a~ to/did me the favor of/graci ously ..... ( conti11111'd o n fol/ml'inl( pa11e J M AN G AJIN
81
J
:}( G? .~ • The Phoenix
82
MAN GAJIN
)( ~ .f!J • The Phoenix (continued from previous page)
~~~----A-k_a_n_e_m_a_r_u_: ~ b_-__v_'_~__________________________________________________________~ Uwa-i!
__ __ "Yahoo!"
~ KibinoMakibi: i>i> "®'1L
e:--~ t.~?
D
Akanemaru do
)a?
Ah
(name)
is/are
how
"Ahh, Akanemaru. How was it?"---+ "Ahh Akanemaru an luck?" (PL2) • it's common for older males to useja in place of da ("is/are") in informal speech.
Akanemaru:
fJi1l ~ fiifl ~ i ~ ;fl. Kibi 110 Makibi-sama! Watashi wa
mimashita!
Hi no tori o
(name)-( hon. )
saw
phoenix
5
1/me
as-for
" Kibi no Makibi-sama! I saw her! ..;. L ~· 7j:
tL-
Fushigi-na
Watashi wa yume
koro
de gowimasu .. ,
wondrous/mysterious thing
is
kono me de
(obj.) these eyes wi th
hoenix, with my own eyes!" (PL3) li W ~ 5! i L t:: o
1/rne
o
mimashita.
as-for dream (obj.) saw
" It was a wondrous thl!!g. I had a dream." (PL4; PL3)
1:. (i ~ ~ ~ )UJ) .PJ
-c T o
~:
(J)
r:1=t
-ll
;1; G b tLt:.
(J)
Yume
110
naka ni hakkiri
hi no tori
ga
arawareta
no desu.
inside in clearly
phoenix
(subj.) appeared
dream of
(explan.)
" In m dream the phoenix appeared clearly." (PL3) • -soma has the same meaning as -san (''Mr./Ms."), but is more polite/honorific. • mimashita is the PL3 past form of mint ("see/look at/meet"). Retlecting his excitement, Akanemaru speaks in short phrases and inverted syntax. Normal o rder would be Watashi wa kono me de hi no tori o mimashita. It's interesting to note that the inverted Japanese order is actually quite close to the natural English o rder. • de gozaimasu is the PL4 equivalent of desu ("is/are"). • arawarera is the plain/abrupt past form of arawareru ("appear/take form'').
Akanemaru:
tLWatashi wa horeru lime
zo !
as-for can carve/sculpt (emph.)
" I can carve it!" (PL2)
(/) + -c
~ Kono te these
~ ~ de kitto
7k~ 1:. y:!l; ~ isse-ichidai eikyii ni nokoru
t - tlt - ft
hands wi th ccrlainly masterpiece
eterni ty in
hi flO tori o
remain/last phoenix
hotte mimasu'
(obj.) will try carving
" With these hands I' m determined to carve a hoenix that will last through a ll eternity as my_masterpiece." (PL3) ]f.
--c v\ --c < t.!. ~ v\ i l
Mite-ire
be watching please watch._m ~"
" Just
0
kudasaimashi.
(PL4)
• horeru is the potential ("can/able to'') form of hom ("ca rve/sculpt"). • kitto, when referring to one's own plans/desires/intentions, expresses strong determ inarion. • isse and ichidai are both words meaning "one's (whole) life/a lifetime," but their combined meaning is the sa me as isse-ichido. "once in one's life/once in a lifetime" (ichido = ichi [''one")+ -do [counter suffix for "times/occasions"]). Implied here is isse-ichidai 110 saku, "once in a lifetime work" • "o ne's masterpiece." • eik_n l = "eternity'' and eikyi'i ni (lit. "in eternity")= ·'eternally/forever/through all eternity'' • isse-ichidai eikyil ni nokoru is a complete thought/sentence ("will last forever as [my) masterpiece") modifying hi no tori (''phoenix''). • houe is the-re form of horu, and mimasu is the PL3 form of mint (''see"). Miru after the-re form of a verb often implies a rather tentative ''try (doing)," but the combination kiuo ... -te mimasu sugges ts considerable confidence. • mite-ire is the -re form of mite-iru ("is/are watching"), and kudasai after the -te form of a verb makes a request, "please (do).'' -mashi is essentially a command form of the PL3 verb ending -masu, but it is used with a limited number of polite verbs to make a PL4 request form, so the Japanese is literally saying "Please be watching me." But the context and drawing tell us his tone is more like the English. "Just watch!"
This concludes our presentation from The Phoenix. The Phoenix © Tezuka Productions, is a work of over 4,000 pages compiled in 12 volumes. The episode which we have presented in three installments is only a small part of volume four. M ANGAJ I N
83
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candy hole/opening appear/take form blood on ground/land map president meet/come upon (by chance) animal eternity AIDS recite/repeat (words) wondrous/mysterious tudent solidly/well industry tooth/ tec..h clear( y/plain Iy talk/conversation retai l shop feather( s) character/personality chill carve/scu lpt creature/living thing meaning pray color masterpiece intent fy/carefull y/quietly household appliances paint/draw turtle sign/nameplate dryer~
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business card polish/brush /shine burn (v.) barley tea lick (v.) wave(s) bitter human being popul arity rem a in/1 ast learn/commit to memory tell/teach refrigerator contact/communication loaf/neglect work product pure/clean washing machine economizing/saving test/exam posture question mai n strength form/image water bill watermelon complete (something) go forward position/standpoint correct/proper unbearable/unendurable clerk j ump ou t customer(s)/cl ient(s) especially painting/coating suddenly attach to trying/pai nfulltough nap/doze ( n.) be born cotton candy deliver be useful/be of service kindly/gentle jargon flee by night grand/magnificent dream
The Vocabulary Summary is taken from material appearing in this issue of MANGAJtN. It's not always possible to gil•e the complete range of meanings for a IVOrd ill this limited space. so our "definitions" a re based on the umge of the word in n parricular S/01)'·
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